


Bilbo Baggins & the Great Treasure

by Marilu



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Human, Bilbo-centric, But no rape, Dubious Consent, Eventual Romance, Grumpy Thorin, Hidden treasure, Kidnapping, M/M, Mean Thorin, Name-Calling, Non-Consensual Groping, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pirates, Poor Bilbo, Sea Monsters, Slow Build, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Threats of Violence, Violence, a bit dark, but Thorin gets better I promise, everybody wants Bilbo, innocent Bilbo, pervert "dwarves", well almost everyone at least
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-28
Updated: 2017-09-18
Packaged: 2018-04-06 15:05:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 59,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4226424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marilu/pseuds/Marilu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bilbo Baggins’ already miserable life becomes even worse when he is captured by the most feared pirate of the seas, Smaug the Terrible. When Smaug’s ship comes under a surprise attack, Bilbo doesn’t know if he is lucky or not when he is forcefully transferred to the Oakenshield, the ship of Smaug’s worst enemy, Thorin Durin. Mistaken as Smaug’s lover, Bilbo is allowed to live and is believed to be useful to the pirates when they search for their long lost treasure, the magical Arkenstone. Slowly Bilbo starts to understand his captors and wants to help them find their way back to the shore and home again. But along the way, ghosts from the past start to haunt their minds and perhaps Bilbo is worth more to these two pirate captains than he or anyone else could have ever believed.</p><p>This fic is currently being beta read by the awesome snarkmaster94, Thank you so much for your hard work! </p><p>The first 17 chapters were beta read by the wonderful existentialnerdcrisis, thank you so much for helping me so far!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. INTRO

 

 

 

_More than gems and gold_

_I would treasure the map._

_For without it you would be lost forever_

_never being able to find your way there and back again._

_That’s why the map is my treasure and if there ever shall be someone to hurt that treasure_

_I guarantee that thou shall never find what he’s looking for._

_Thou shall be cursed to sail the seas forever hearing no comforting cries of seagulls_

_never feeling the warmth of the rising sun._

_For my map shall only show the greatest treasures for those only_

_who know how to see beyond the horizon._

_D.N_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new story! This time a bit darker than I usually write and about pirates! 
> 
> I have to tell that now is probably the worst time for me to publish anything here since I work 12 hours and 6 days in week and I'm pretty much dead when I get home from the office... But I need to do something else beside the work, I'm a graphic designer/illustrator-intern right now so I have to draw lots and lots every day, so I thought that writing would give me something else to think about and to do, I need to get Photoshop and InDesing and Illustrator out of my sight at least once in a week, but I also have this need to create something constantly. Plus, I wanna hear what you guys think about this idea! :--D
> 
> I try to update at least few times in a month, promise! Also, this is not beta-read, I'm not native English speaker so feel free to point out the biggest mistakes my work has (please do so friendly, I'm trying terribly hard)! Thank you all very much!
> 
> EDIT 1.7.2015// This story is now being beta read by the awesome acornsandoakleaves, so now you guys don't have bear with my awkward English anymore!


	2. PART ONE: The full moon and the flower painting

They called him “Dragon.” No one would be overstating if they said that he was the most feared man of the seas. His ship was red as a flame with golden edges and black flags and the cannons were said to spit fire that was hotter than hellfire. And wherever he sailed, whatever poor village he chose to land, he would rob it till the last golden coin and burn every house down before disappearing. They said that he liked to watch the flames eat the shore as he sailed away; his golden eyes would smile as the screams slowly faded. He was said to always wear a long crimson jacket, as red as his victims’ blood and his hair was dark and wild, face cruel, teeth sharp as a shark’s and his body strong and tall. Only the bravest ones were able to say his name out loud, whispering about the pirate called Smaug, Smaug the Terrible.

The son of a gardener, Bilbo Baggins, would have never believed that he would, one day, be sailing the seas with this monster.

Oh no, don’t even think for a second that Bilbo was a pirate! He came from a very respectable family and studied literature. But at the age of twelve, his adventurous mother lost her life in a sailing trip during a stormy night and his father died from grief two years after that. That was the first time his life was completely changed. Afterwards, all his parents’ wealth was taken by his father’s greedy relatives who blamed Bilbo’s mother’s actions for everything.

“Had she not been so foolhardy, and if she had acted like a proper woman, this child would still have someone,” they said. And they were partly right, as Bilbo had no one. However those relatives did take him under their roof, and gave him clothes and food, but never love. He worked hard so that he would have enough money to buy books. But whenever he would get a new book and was found reading it, they would grumble, “what a waste of money and time.” Bilbo never knew if they meant the books or him. He spent his days alone in his room, read and studied and never complained. When he was old enough to move out and live on his own, he was allowed to stay and keep his little room only because he did most of the housework. And even though they treated him, their own blood, as a slave he still didn’t complain. But in the year he turned twenty-five his life changed again, dramatically. The most feared of all pirates had found his way to Bilbo’s island and then he finally started to find something to complain about.

“And what is this?”

“A girl! A girly, little girl! Can’t you see captain, can’t you see?!”

“Gollum, that’s a man. Or rather a boy.”

Bilbo stared with horrified eyes at the tall man in front of him, the mighty Dragon of the seas. He was every bit as terrible as the rumors had foretold and his deep voice alone sent shivers down his spine. But the way he was talking to this skinny and scrawny man, his subordinate, who had forcefully dragged Bilbo onto the ship during the violent attack, was surprisingly calm and a bit bored, as if he had expected nothing better of him.

“I asked you to bring me an attractive lady to keep me company for the night. That is the easiest task there ever was and you can’t even fulfill that.” Smaug, the Dragon, sighed and pointed towards the edge of the ship, where the plank was. Bilbo paled and thought he might faint.

“No! No captain, no, no, no, noooo! We already named it, its name is Precious!” the man, apparently someone called Gollum, screamed and tightened his hold painfully on Bilbo’s arm.

“What have I said to you Gollum? If you name them, you get attached to them and it’s harder to let me kill them,” captain Smaug explained. He was ready to throw the man to the sharks, along with Bilbo, when Gollum suddenly pushed Bilbo’s white face as close as he could to Smaug’s.

“Look at it captain! Look how precious it looks!”

Smaug’s narrowed eyes reflexively flickered to Bilbo’s for only a second, but that second was enough to catch his attention. He bent down to see Bilbo’s face closer and stared at him for a good while without even blinking once, until he turned around and started to slowly walk inside his cabin.

“You may keep him. Make him do something useful like scrubbing the deck and see that he does not cause any trouble.”

Bilbo didn’t know what there was about his face that had changed the Dragon’s mind and as long as he lived he couldn’t really bring himself to care. And there was no time to think about it anyway because as soon as the captain had let Gollum keep his “precious” the bony man went nuts with joy and started to jump and wave around as if he were dancing and then he grabbed Bilbo’s arm tightly.

“You’re mine, all mine! Ours, mine! Come Precious, we’ll be friendsssh forever!!!” Gollum cried and pulled Bilbo under the deck, deep inside the dark bottom of the ship. It was the last time Bilbo was able to see the sun for a long time. But even though he couldn’t even see his own hands in the dark, he heard the panicked screams of his people and smelled the smoke in his nostrils for days after his kidnapping.

Bilbo was sure that he would never get used to the dark, the smell of death, and the feel of constant fear and he never did but he felt as if he could tolerate them for a little time. He never forgot the dreadful day that had started like any other day in his life. He woke up early, did his chores, ate some left overs, and read his old books, before starting to prepare lunch. But just before lunchtime, he heard his aunt cry out and felt the house shudder violently after a loud crash. He hurried outside, only to see that the whole island was on fire. He didn’t know if he should run back inside and help his relatives or try to get somewhere safe. After pondering this for a second or two, he turned around to run back into the house but just then he felt sharp and skinny arms around his neck and heard maniacal laughter in his ears. He tried to fight back but the smoke, panic and then strangling hands cut off his breathing and soon everything went dark. The next time he was able to open his eyes he was already on his knees on the dirty crimson deck, in front of the most feared pirate of his time. Bilbo couldn’t know what had happened to his relatives, had they survived or… No, most likely they didn’t, since it wasn’t Smaug’s style to leave anyone alive after his attacks. But now Bilbo had something else to worry about besides his uncles, aunts, and cousins. He was on a pirate ship, after all.

The ironic thing was, that in this ship filled with criminals, he was basically treated the same way and given all the same tasks as he had been responsible for when he had been living with the relatives he never felt close enough to call his family. In Dragon’s ship he was made to help with the food, as he had at home. But the original cook, a giant-sized man called Bert, didn’t agree with the other crew that this little man’s cooking was better than his. Sometimes Bilbo was made to scrub the dirty deck with all his might but it never got any cleaner, no matter how hard he scrubbed it. But seeing him work so hard seemed to please the cook’s brother William, another huge man who was most likely the stupidest of the three brothers. The third one, Tom, didn’t pay much attention to Bilbo, just took care of the cannons.

Bilbo, who was very clever, quickly learned the names of the other crewmembers. They were all very big, scarred men with muscles larger than Bilbo’s head, all expect Gollum who was even shorter and bonier than Bilbo. The one who Bilbo was most afraid of and to whom he never dared to say a word was the first mate, a huge and pale man called Azog the Defiler. He was missing one arm and had replaced it with a sharp hook. Bilbo had witnessed, a few times, how someone who hadn’t done as they were told got a painful slash on their face by that silver hook. To be away from Azog’s eyes, Bilbo preferred to stay under the deck peeling potatoes even if it meant he had to be alone with “that Gollum-guy”. The man was crazy and unstable. He talked to himself almost nonstop and cried and laughed without reason. It was probably thanks to his madness that Bilbo was allowed to live, and sometimes in Bilbo’s eyes Gollum looked like a small, poor child. After all, Gollum often wanted to play games and riddles with him and would only scratch Bilbo on the arm with his yellow nails if he lost. Bilbo was never able to understand why Smaug even let him stay as a part of the crew and didn’t kill the man whose body was clearly not suited for a hard sea life. The only useful thing that Gollum ever did was kill the rats and… and then eat them. Though Bilbo always felt hungry, he never could bring himself to do the same. So he settled with eating the potato skins and the leftovers, almost like when he had lived on the island, which was probably reduced to ash now. After the day he was dragged in that cursed ship he hadn’t seen the captain, the Dragon, even once and he hoped that he would never have to again. But fate had written a very special story for Bilbo and the pirate captain played a big role in it.

When Bilbo had been living in the pirate ship for about a month he woke up from his light sleep one night when he heard Gollum crying miserably. This wasn’t anything new but now the man sounded almost too miserable and Bilbo crawled towards him in the dark to see what was going on.

“W-what is it..?” he whispered, and Gollum’s tearful eyes looked at him, seeing perfectly in the dark and the man started to explain with a hoarse voice.

“It’s full moon, Preciousssh, full moon! The captain stays awake for the night, the moon does not let him sleeph!”

“R-right… But why are you crying?”

“Tea! He wants tea when it’s full moon, stupid full moon! We bring him tea when it’s full moon!”

“S-so? Br-bring him some, then. He will get mad if you don’t, right?” Bilbo thought that the man was just nervous to meet the likely angry and tired captain, but then anger flashed in Gollum’s eyes.

“No! Precious is stuuupid, stuuuuuuupid! We have no tea; the rats have ate the leaves! All the leaves! Now the captain breaks our legs again and we hate the pain, we hate!”

Gollum tossed the empty wooden tea box at Bilbo and cried even harder. Then suddenly his long fingers were around Bilbo’s neck, strangling him.

“It’s Precious’ fault! If Precious eats rats we would have the tea! It’s your fault, your fault!”

“S-stop!” Bilbo struggled and for a second and he was sure that this would be his end. But suddenly Gollum’s grip softened and Bilbo could hear him laugh.

“If Preciousssh goes and says that there’s no tea, the captain breaks his legs! And then Precious would always be here, playing riddles with us!”

Now Gollum was again dancing around the cabin and Bilbo focused on breathing. Then he understood what Gollum had said and didn’t know if it would be better to die now or suffer the pain of broken bones. Shaking, he got up and immediately Gollum pushed him outside under the pale white moon and hurried him forward.

“Captain will be so angry, so angry!” Bilbo could hear him chuckling behind him as he tried to steady his legs enough to walk. He knew where the captain’s room was since he had seen Azog going in there many times to receive orders. Slowly Bilbo opened the creaky doors that would lead him inside the better cabins of the ship, eyes immediately finding the big red door with a golden handle. He didn’t know if he should knock before opening it, didn’t know how Gollum had done it when bringing the tea before. But Bilbo feared that if he kept thinking about it the captain would get even angrier, since he would have to wait longer. So Bilbo rubbed his legs for the last time as he thought about how, after a few minutes, he would probably never walk again and then he knocked.

After three knocks, it became silent and the only sound Bilbo could hear was his own shaky breathing. He reached out his hand to grab the handle and carefully opened the heavy door. He needed to close his eyes momentarily since the room was very bright because every wall had candles to light up the space. The room was huge and decorated with gold and expensive looking furs. Bilbo did not have enough time to look around as there was too much to see and then he heard the low voice asking:

“What are you doing here?”

Bilbo’s head turned in the direction where had heard the voice and then he finally saw Dragon for the second time in his life. He was standing in front of the large window, eyes fixed on the full moon. He probably saw Bilbo’s reflection from the glass or just had impossibly good hearing and could tell to whom the steps belonged to. Smaug still hadn’t turned his eyes on him but Bilbo was already shaking.

“I-I w-was told t-to come and tell t-that there’s n-no t-t-tea left…”

Bilbo was sure that his voice had never sounded so small and scared and he closed his eyes, waiting in fear of what would come next. He expected pain and to hear his own screams and spend long sleepless nights and days in the dark. He never thought to hear Smaug’s calm but threating voice say the following.

“Then leave.”

Bilbo’s eyes snapped open and he saw that Smaug still hadn’t moved away from the window and he was standing there like a statue. Confused, Bilbo blinked his eyes and turned around to face the door, but stopped when he saw a painting on the wall. It was a small painting and it looked out of place on such a large wall. But it was not the size that had caught his eye; it was the artwork itself. Little pinkish flowers were carefully painted onto the canvas and Bilbo couldn’t help but let out a relieved sigh when he looked at them.

“What now?” Smaug had suddenly turned around and there was the slightest hint of anger mixed with curiosity in his voice.

“Uhm, n-nothing! J-just admiring t-this.. painting…” Bilbo choked out, and cursed himself for not running away when he had the chance! Now he was too scared to move.

“Admiring it? Such an insignificant painting,” Smaug snorted, and took two long steps closer to the small man. Now Bilbo noticed just how tall Dragon actually was, almost three times bigger than him.

“Y-yes! I mean, I-I j-just like fl-flowers,” Bilbo explained, and hoped to receive another command to leave the captain’s room.

“Like them? Even these ones?” Smaug raised his eyebrows and came even closer to Bilbo to look at the painting with him.

“Y-yes, actually, these were my f-father’s f-favorite f-flowers,” Bilbo stuttered, and then mentally slapped himself; Smaug probably wasn’t interested in hearing about his family.

“I hate them,” Dragon said with disgust in his voice and Bilbo’s curiosity perked up; why keep something on your wall that you have to see everyday if you don’t like it?

“Why?” Bilbo asked before he could stop himself, regretting it immediately. Smaug’s yellow, burning eyes were on him in a second, clearly waiting for him to continue.

“Wh-what I m-meant… I mean… The flower is poisonous b-but r-really b-beautiful…”  

“It surely is,” Smaug nodded, but his voice wasn’t any softer, almost sounded even angrier.

“Do you know much about the flowers?” He asked suddenly, and it took some seconds for Bilbo to find his voice again.

“M-my f-father was a g-gardener,” he answered, and blinked his eyes rapidly as he looked up into Smaug’s face. He was silent for a while, looking at Bilbo before walking next to the large wooden table and sitting on one of the chairs before motioning Bilbo to do the same.

“Tell me everything you know about this flower,” he commanded, voice not sounding angry anymore. Hesitatingly, Bilbo sat down and cleared his throat. When he started to tell everything he knew about this particular plant he soon got lost in his past, in his father’s garden and didn’t stutter anymore. Like Gollum had said, the lonely moon kept the captain awake for the whole night and so Bilbo also didn’t sleep. He was forced to stay awake, speak about the deadly flower and so far it was the best night he had spent on the red pirate ship.


	3. Out of the fire into the blue ship

Gollum had been a bit disappointed when he noticed that Bilbo had returned from the captain’s room without any broken limbs. In fact, the whole crew was a little surprised when Smaug continued to request the short man’s company almost every other night. Some threw him knowing looks and smirked if they ever saw him above deck, and once when Bilbo brought peeled potatoes to Bert the man hissed “captain’s whore” through his teeth. But all Bilbo did during the nights with Smaug was talk. The pirate captain was cruel and ruthless but seemed to appreciate good conversation. Bilbo wasn’t sure if you could really call them conversations, since Smaug was always the one who chose the topics and if Bilbo ever asked anything too personal or said anything wrong Smaug would hit him. There had been a few times when Bilbo had crossed the line, every time had been an honest mistake but those instances had cost him some angry bruises on his face, arms, and chest. He may have even broken a rib or two at some point.

After the first night, Smaug hadn’t been interested in speaking about the flowers anymore. He preferred to talk about his “conquests”, tell how many islands he had burned down, how the people had begged for his mercy and where he had found the biggest piles of gold. These weren’t topics Bilbo wanted to hear and he always shivered while listening to Smaug talk, but he still preferred to spend his nights like this rather than sleeping with the rats and listening to Gollum cry in the dark. Bilbo didn’t know why Smaug wanted to talk with him, or why it was so hard for the captain to sleep even when it wasn’t the full moon, or why he had wanted to know more about the flower in his painting on that first night. But of course Bilbo knew that asking any of these questions would be forbidden and would only cause Smaug to inflict further injuries on his weak body. He tried to stay on Smaug’s good side and only ask things that would give him more reasons to boast. Sometimes Bilbo would tell Smaug the stories and legends that people whispered about him, how they feared him and how they hated him because these stories seemed to please him more than anything else. And if nothing else, Bilbo always found some comfort from looking at the flower painting since it reminded him of his father and of happier times. That was one of the reasons, and the most important reason why Bilbo wanted to spend his sleepless nights in the so-called Dragon’s den.

He felt like he had been on Smaug’s ship for an eternity. He had a hard time remembering what it had been like to walk on the seashore, the steady land, or the green grass. He knew that there had been times when he didn’t need to watch his every step or think hard about what to say before he opened his mouth. He knew that there hadn’t always been a constant feeling of fear inside him, but those times seemed too far away, like he had died and then been reborn here. Despite feeling as if he had lived an eternity with pirates, he had been with them for just under two months, although they still felt like the longest days of his whole life. He was reminded of just how much time had passed when the full moon appeared in the sky one misty night when he was once again on his way to talk with the Dragon. Staring up at the white orb brought back the memory of how his talks with Smaug had started exactly one month ago. And maybe on this night Smaug would want to talk about flowers once again, who could predict what Smaug would want? Maybe the full moon did keep him from sleeping a wink but perhaps it also calmed him a little too. But for Bilbo the shiny orb in the sky didn’t look calming and comforting at all; it looked like it waited for something ominous to happen and it wanted to be closer to the earth and sea to get a better view. Bilbo shivered at the thought and hurried inside.

When he saw the captain he knew that it wasn’t only the moon that seemed anxious; Smaug looked unsettled too. At first Bilbo felt lucky when he didn’t seem to want to talk about all the bloodshed he had done but the silence around them quickly started to feel agonizing. Bilbo felt uneasy but he didn’t dare say a word. Smaug was looking over Bilbo’s shoulder, starting at nothing in particular, lost in his memories. Suddenly he sighed and Bilbo almost jumped when he heard the sound.

“Deadly Nightshade…” He said, and Bilbo realized that Smaug had been staring at the flower painting through the mirror that rested against the wall behind Bilbo’s back.

“Extremely poisonous but beautiful above all else,” Smaug said before the silence fell again. Bilbo had barely enough courage to swallow and nod. His eyes snapped up from table’s surface when he sensed Smaug’s focus on him and once again the pirate stared at him the same way he had as the first time he had seen Bilbo.

“You said that you like that flower,” he stated, and Bilbo nodded, despite it not being an actual question.

“I-I feel like it reminds me about-“

Suddenly, the whole ship jolted and there was a loud crash.

Bilbo fell off his chair, back hitting the wooden floor with a painful thud. Smaug had barely managed to keep his balance and faster than lighting, he rushed out onto the deck leaving Bilbo alone in his room.

He heard screams, shouts, gunshots, swords clashing together, and the loud sounds of cannons being fired.

He panicked and swore that nothing would make him leave this room now.

He wasn’t sure if he wanted Smaug’s men to win or not.

Fearing that the enemy would come down and find him, Bilbo rolled under the table and quickly realized that it didn’t actually hide him. He looked around and finally spotted another door on the other side of the room. He hesitated to make a run for it, but then he heard the loudest gunshot so far and was on his feet faster than a bullet. The door wasn’t locked and it led him into a smaller room, where Smaug’s bed was. The bed was too low for him to crawl under it, but the covers were very thick and there were plenty of cushions so maybe he could hide under them and nobody would notice. And so he did, knowing that Smaug would be very angry if he came back first but… what if Smaug didn’t come back? Could there be someone even stronger than him? If there were, would that actually be a good thing? It would surely be for the best if Smaug were the cruelest person in the world so things couldn’t get any worse for him.

Suddenly Bilbo’s mind went blank with terror when he heard someone entering the first room.

“There’s no one in here… I think.” Bilbo heard someone with an unfamiliar voice saying.

“Hrgh, gurdhg! Mgh!” Bilbo heard someone just as unfamiliar answering and he was pretty sure that this man didn’t use any language that he had ever heard of.

“Yeah, maybe we could take some- Oh wait! Look, there’s another door!” the first voice said and a cold sweat immediately covered Bilbo’s entire body. He did his best not to tremble when he heard the two men step inside the bedroom. This time they were both quiet and when they stopped walking Bilbo couldn’t tell where they were or what was happening. He closed his eyes and did something he had never done before; he prayed. He didn’t know who or what he was praying to, he wasn’t from a religious family. But he actually didn’t care who heard the words he silently spoke, he just wanted to be rescued.

_“Please let me live, please..! Please take me away from this horrible ship and bring me back to the shore! Please give me back my life, please save me now!”_

But maybe no one hears the words that aren’t said out loud. The blanket that had covered Bilbo’s body was suddenly torn away in one fast move leaving him completely exposed.

“Well, look at that! Looks like we found something really interesting!”

With fear in his eyes, Bilbo looked up to see the two men. The first one wore a peculiar woolen hat and the other man, who talked in grunts, had a nasty scar down his forehead. But they were clearly pirates, Bilbo was sure of that; he had lived long enough to recognize one.

Bilbo was unable to move, he was paralyzed with fear. But that seemed to be convenient for the pirates, and the taller one with the scar, black whiskers and a grey beard, lifted Bilbo up and threw him over his shoulder.

“Careful! We don’t want to hurt a lady, right?” The shorter of the two, with the hat and long moustache chuckled and Bilbo blinked his eyes in confusion: a lady? Him? He understood that the lunatic Gollum had made that mistake but these men as well? Were they crazy too?

Before Bilbo had gathered enough courage to correct the men, they heard a low, loud horn sounded on the deck.

“Damn, it sounds like we must retreat immediately!” The man with the long moustache said and the other one grunted again and signed with his free hand.

“No, you know the rules, just run!”

And before Bilbo had time to blink again, he was being carried outside. He kept his eyes squeezed shut but heard the sounds of running, shooting, and fighting, and he felt how the man carrying him almost fell over but kept his balance at the last second. He dared to take a peek when he felt the cold night wind ruffle his hair. He saw the deck, full of pirates who were fighting against each other. It looked like the crew of his current captors were starting to retreat and Smaug’s men weren’t making much of an effort to stop them. Then he suddenly realized he was being lifted higher, the man with the scar on his face held him in the air as if he weighted nothing.

“Kili! Catch!” the man with the moustache yelled and Bilbo realized, too late, what was about to happen. He was thrown in the air, from one ship to another. He was terrified and attempted to shout but he was only able to whimper. He flew steadily over the sea between the two vessels and instead of hitting the hard deck when he landed, he was caught in someone’s arms and the momentum made them both fall backwards.

“What the…” The young man hissed but shut his mouth when he saw Bilbo in his lap.

“Well hello there!” He smiled with a wink and if Bilbo hadn’t been so confused and scared he might have blushed; the man was very handsome.

But this was no time for flirting; they were in a hurry to escape as fast as possible. The man with the hat was suddenly beside him, picking him up and holding him in his arms like a princess, and he quickly took him inside the cabin. Bilbo finally realized that he could struggle back, but when he tried the man gave him the following words of warning:

“Behave and I won’t have to hurt you, yet,” he said with a smile in a sweet, teasing tone. But there was enough steel in his voice to make Bilbo stop his escape attempts and only then was he was lowered down onto a hard mattress.

“I’m sorry that we don’t have anything more suitable for a cutie like you, but you must understand that the captain is busy now and we don’t yet know what he will think of you. Until then, try to rest and make yourself at home,” the man apologized with a bow, and then he left, locking the door behind him.

It must have taken at least ten minutes for Bilbo to finally move an inch from where he had been left. Finally, he let his muscles relax and pressed his back against the wall.

“What have I gotten myself into?” He whispered and then realized that all was silent. He no longer heard the sounds of shouting, screaming, firing or fighting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Sorry to keep you waiting but here's the second chapter (I'm sorry it's pretty short, I promise you that the third one is longer)! And this one is also beta read by the wonderful acornsandoakleaves, she has done amazing job with this chapter too! And Thank You all for the kudos, bookmarks and for reading this fic! I got such heartwarming comments from some of you too, Thank you!


	4. Rusty scissors and other unworthy things

Bilbo felt as if he had sat on the hard bed for ages. At some point he might have even fallen asleep for a few minutes but he couldn’t be sure. It took him quite a long time to gain enough strength to get to his feet but once he was finally able to stand up he decided to carefully look around the small room. It wasn’t as big and glamourous as Smaug’s had been and it had different furniture in it: a bed, a small bookshelf and a small chest of drawers. And when Bilbo finally saw his reflection in a looking glass, he almost didn’t recognize himself!

He was very pale and his clothes hung off of him. His hair had grown way too long; it was curly, dirty and reached a little over his shoulders. Then he remembered that it had already been a bit too long for his liking before he was kidnapped almost two months ago. Bilbo’s body was small and even after being deprived of food for longer than he could remember, his features were still more soft than bony.

“No wonder they thought that I was a girl…” Bilbo sighed, but he was sure that he wouldn’t pass as a pretty lady; he looked too pale, shabby and scared for that. Maybe if he could fix his hair he would look more like a decent human being and a little less feminine. He started to open the drawers, even though he doubted that he would find anything sharp in this room but… Oh wait, there, in the top drawer was a pair of small, old scissors! There were also all kinds of little things, probably more suited to a woman than a man: some pencils, paper, necklace, hairpins and ink.

Bilbo tried the scissors and found that they weren’t very sharp at all. Darn, for a second he had thought that he could have used them as some sort of weapon and fought his way out… But then again, how could a pair of scissors, even the sharpest ones, help him to defeat the pirates who had given even Smaug a hard time? And besides, would he really be brave enough to attack someone who was probably a head or two taller than him? No, he probably would not be…

The scissors might have been too dull to fight with but they were just sharp enough to cut his hair, though it took a while. But in the end he had managed to shorten his hair so that it just barely touched his shoulders and the bangs weren’t covering his face anymore. If nothing else he looked just a bit neater.

“It’s so stupid to worry about your appearance when you’re captured by pirates,” Bilbo snorted to himself and placed the scissors down on the chest.

Then he heard someone knocking and went to open the door.

“Sorry for the delay, my lady! I brought you something to eat!”

The man who walked in with a tray of food wasn’t any of the three men Bilbo had seen earlier. This young man had long golden hair and a short beard with braided whiskers. Automatically, Bilbo backed against the wall and that seemed to amuse the man. Then he noticed the old, rusty scissors on the chest and hurriedly grabbed them.

“Where did you find these?! Dammit, let’s pretend that these were never here; otherwise it will be me who has to suffer through all the shouting even though it was Bofur who locked you up in here… You know, we don’t want you to hurt yourself or us,” he said, and put the scissors in his pocket, placing the tray in their place.

“I-I just…” Bilbo stuttered, not really knowing what is was he was trying to say. But he wouldn’t have had any time to continue either way; as soon as he had spoken a word the blonde’s eyes were on him and he rushed forward to see Bilbo’s face better.

“You’re not a girl?! Say something again!” He demanded, and Bilbo pressed his back tight against the wall.

“Wh-what? I-isn’t it obvious th-that I-I’m a m-man?” He whimpered since the other man was now standing uncomfortably close. The man looked at him from head to toe, eyes serious. Bilbo gulped under his gaze, he was at least a head shorter than this handsome blonde. Then suddenly, a lecherous smile appeared on the blonde’s face and he met Bilbo’s eyes.

“Well, man or woman, you’re still pretty cute,” he said, and winked in much the same way as the other young man who had caught Bilbo on the deck. Then suddenly, the blonde’s hands were all over him, palms patting Bilbo’s chest.

“Wh-what?!” Bilbo jumped but since he had backed himself against the wooden wall, he couldn’t escape from the man’s groping hands. The man smirked and though Bilbo tried to push him away, he still managed to slip his hands under Bilbo’s formerly white shirt and touch his skin.

“Yup, you’re definitely a man; no woman would have _this_ flat of a chest, I’ll tell ya,” he chuckled, but then his eyes moved slowly down Bilbo’s body...

“Or… Should I just make sure and see what you’ve got down there…” He said mischievously, and his bright eyes flashed teasingly. That was more than enough for Bilbo, who used all his remaining strength to push the man away from him, refusing to be molested any more. His sudden defiance seemed to surprise the other man, who quickly wiped that look of amazement off of his face and smirked again.

“Innocent but a little fierce, no wonder the rotten lizard kept you.”

Bilbo didn’t understand what he was talking about, but was left to be confused when the man who had just groped him bowed like a gentleman and pointed at the tray he had brought with him.

“Please eat something while we’re waiting for my uncle’s, our captain’s, orders. He has been too busy to hear that you have decided to sail with us, mister..?”

“B-Bilbo…” Bilbo gulped and realized that no one in Smaug’s ship had ever asked his name. The man nodded and then bowed again.

“I’m Fili, at your service,” he introduced himself and Bilbo wasn’t sure that there was not a hint of mocking in his tone. Then he left Bilbo alone again, and the short man let himself slide down the wall to the floor, hands tugging down his shirt.

 _“I don’t know if these pirates are more dangerous than Smaug and his crew, but clearly they have no sense of personal space..!”_ He thought and after a little hesitation he walked to the chest, looked at the tray of food and poked the funny looking brown pulp with the fork that had been laid beside it.

“Is this even edible..?” He wondered and then paused when he realized it could be poisoned. Then he thought of how hungry he was and decided that it was better to die of poisoned food than starve to death. And when he took a small taste of it, he sighed; it wasn’t very good but it was ten times better than anything he had eaten in these last couple of months. He tried his best to eat slowly, knowing that it would be easier on his stomach. He snorted when he smelled bitter ale instead of fresh water in his cup but since he couldn’t be picky he drank it anyway.

After eating, he continued to look around the room, disappointed when there was not even a small window. He knew that he had been brought here at midnight, but now he couldn’t be sure what time it was; it could still be night, morning or midday since there was no way to tell. The two lanterns hanging on the walls were his only source of light as he went back over to lie down on the bed and he let his tired eyes drift closed while watching the small flames, remembering the destruction of his home island.

“I really hope that the captain of this ship is more merciful than… than Dragon…” Bilbo whispered before falling into a light, uncomfortable sleep.

 

 

 

 

 

 

\------------------------------------------

 

 

 

**“That cursed low-life worm! Why did those two have to make an alliance?! That destroys all of our plans!”**

The men on the deck didn’t envy the captain’s advisor who was forced to bear the outburst alone in the captain’s chambers. They could hear their leader’s voice all the way across the ship. It had taken hours for him to calm down, but even after all the shouting had ended, the advisor still hadn’t come out of the captain’s cabin.

“I think they’re making a new plan or something,” a pirate with a red beard mumbled.

“Aye, that means my brother won’t be leaving that room any time soon,” agreed a man with a bald head and full beard. And he was right, it was already close to the morning and still no one had left the captain’s room.

“He must have been really angry to find that the half-handed one and the slug had joined forces,” the one with the funny hat commented, gaining nods from the others around him.

“That isn’t good news for us… They’re the two people in this world he hates the most!”

“They’re not people, they’re monsters!”

“We need to have a really good plan if we want to surprise them again. Too bad that tonight’s attack wasn’t successful…” the red bearded man sighed but then the man with the hat and whiskers gave him a sly smile.

“Well, me and Bifur did find something interesting in the slug’s chambers…”

In less than a second the bald man had rushed in front of him, grabbed him by the neck of his shirt and hauled him up.

“You bastard! Why didn’t you tell the captain right away?!” He shouted and the man struggled out of his hold, coughing before answering.

“I tried but he wasn’t in the mood to listen! It’s his own fault for being so cranky and uncooperative.”

“So true!” One of the youngest men, the same one who had caught Bilbo earlier laughed. The bald pirate snorted and by now everyone was curious.

“Well, what did you find? The map?! Or some rare gems?!” they asked but the man with the hat shook his head.

“There was this petite, cute lady in his bed. We decided to take her with us and have a little chat with her about her _lover_ ,” he explained and everyone’s eyes grew wide.

“The lizard had a woman in his room?! And she was still alive?!”

“She looked like she had been at sea for a long time, maybe Smaug had found her worth keeping.”

“Where is she now?” The pirate with a pointy hairdo asked.

“Downstairs in lady Dis’ old room. Bifur is guarding the door and I just sent Fili to bring her some food.”

“Not her. Him,” said a voice near the doors to the staircase and there stood the blonde pirate, Fili, with a clever smile.

“What?”

“ _She’s_ a man, didn’t you realize? Well I noticed that by myself only when he started to speak, his voice was a bit too low to be a woman’s,” he explained and everyone except the young pirate looked surprised.

“I kinda thought that there was something boyish about his face when he landed on me..! But wow, he’s a real cutie then!” He laughed.

“Are you sure that he’s a man?” The one with hat and whiskers asked and Fili nodded.

“Yeah, I kinda made that almost one hundred percent sure,” he said and slowly grouped the air with his hands.

“Hey, you better not touch him anymore! If he really is Smaug’s lover we need to talk with your uncle before deciding what we’re gonna do with him!” The bald one with a beard gave him a warning look and Fili rolled his eyes, muttering, “fine, fine”.

“Well how did I not notice that? A man in Lizard’s bed..! I just assumed that he was a lady since he looked so small and had such nice, soft looking hair and skin!”

“His skin truly is soft,” Fili agreed with a wink. And right after that, the door to the captain’s room opened and heavy footsteps echoed across the deck on the cold, misty morning.

Well, now it was time to start explaining….

 

 

 

 

 

\------------------------- 

 

 

Bilbo rubbed his sore muscles and hissed when he felt sharp stings of pain all over his body. He had thought that his body was already used to sleeping on hard, uncomfortable surfaces..!

“My back…” He muttered and rubbed his spine. He hadn’t actually slept much at all but didn’t want to lie down anymore. One of the lanterns had dimmed and though it was early morning Bilbo felt like it was still the middle of the night. He felt confused and ill. But there was no time for any self-pity now; the door opened again and instead of the man named Fili, this time he once again met the one with the whiskers and hat.

“Hullo! Have you had any sleep, lad?” He asked merrily but Bilbo couldn’t find the words to answer.

“My apologizes, I really thought at first that you were a missy..! My eyes are usually sharp but when you’re in the middle of fighting against the enemy and sneaking into his chambers you really don’t have the time to have a good look around, you know?”

Bilbo still remained silent; he just didn’t know what to say or if should he be afraid or not. The man looked so sincere and happy that it was almost hard to believe that he was a pirate. He seemed to understand that Bilbo was too confused to have a proper conversation so he decided to try a fresh start.

“Pardon my manners, my name is Bofur, at your service!” He bowed in the same manner as Fili had before.

“You’re Bilbo, am I right?”

“Y-yes…” Bilbo nodded, and it felt a bit weird to have someone else say his name aloud after such a long time.

“Good! So, would you like me to escort you up to the deck to get some fresh air?” Bofur asked and offered his hand. Even knowing that Bilbo wasn’t a lady he still treated him like one, since the short man just looked so adorable when he was scared and lost.

“I-I’m fine, thanks..!” Bilbo shook his head. Oh how he wanted to feel the fresh wind on his face, but leaving the room and most likely meeting more pirates didn’t sound very tempting…

“I’m afraid that you don’t actually have much choice, my boy,” Bofur said and opened his vest enough to show Bilbo the small, sharp dagger that was hidden in it.

So no, he didn’t really get a choice. Bofur wrapped his arm around his shoulders, pulled him close and began to lead them up the stairs to the outside. Bilbo trembled slightly and when he lifted his head to look at the man next to him, Bofur caught his gaze and gave him a very flirtatious smile. This time Bilbo blushed and he dropped his stare to the floor immediately.

 _“What if the whole crew is like these men?”_ He thought, as he finally smelled the fresh, salty sea air. Only a few more steps and he would find out what he had really got himself into…

To Bilbo’s surprise, it wasn’t pitch dark outside, the morning sky was grey and cloudy, the sea only a bit restless and the wind blew cold and slow. But even though the sun wasn’t shining, it was still a bit too bright for Bilbo, who had spent most of the last two months inside dark cabins with only the occasional luxury of light from a few candles, needed to blink his eyes quite a few times before he could see properly. But once his eyes had barely adjusted to the new light, someone pulled him out of Bofur’s arms, but more likely yanked him away.

“What?! This little shrimp kept the lizard satisfied?!” a man with long red hair and a matching shaggy beard inquired loudly. Poor Bilbo had just enough time to blink when someone else spun him around and he was face to face with the same young man who had caught him in his arms when he was thrown onto this ship.

“Come on! Just look at him! It’s a real sin for a man to be this huggable and innocent!” He said and again there was another big hand on his shoulder, pulling him away to look at him.

“Yes, I can see the appeal,” said a man, with the weirdest hairstyle Bilbo had ever seen, and he casually pushed Bilbo to stumble against a big, bald man.

“Well, whatcha thinking, Dwalin? Is this kind of quiet little boy your type?” he asked with a teasing tone when the bigger man’s eyes took in Bilbo’s form.

“Shut up. You know better than to play around with him; he might be valuable, you know?”

Bilbo swallowed; valuable? Him? He didn’t think he was worth a penny! Everyone who had ever cared about him was dead by now and he owned nothing more than the clothes on his back...! He felt despair strong enough to crush him, but he fought to keep his head held high and curled his hands into fists.

“I’m not…” Bilbo swallowed and tried to look the tallest crewmember, the bald man, who was still not even as tall as the men on Smaug’s ship, straight in the eye.

“You what?” The man lifted one eyebrow and Bilbo gathered his courage and straightened his back.

“I am not worth _a thing_ to anyone.”

“That’s for me to decide.”

Bilbo felt shivers run down his spine when he heard the cold and intimidating voice behind him. When he reluctantly turned around to see who was talking, he wished that the earth, well in this case the deck, would swallow him. Before him stood a tall man with long, dark and curly hair, a thick short beard and the coldest and bluest eyes that Bilbo had ever seen.

This man was without a doubt the captain of these pirates.

“What is his name?” The captain asked, as if Bilbo was some sort of savage who didn’t know how to introduce himself. Though he kept his narrowed crystal-blue eyes on him the whole time.

“He’s Bilbo,” Bofur answered, still smiling carefree.

“Bilbo who?” The captain asked again, and this time Bilbo felt like it was his turn to answer.

“B-baggins… Sir…” He said, not wanting to insult or anger the pirate who already looked frustrated.

“And you tell me that you found him in Smaug’s chambers, under his covers?” He growled and made a little gesture with his fingers, prompting the bald man behind Bilbo to spin the poor man around, showing Bilbo’s backside to the captain before turning him to face him once again.

“Aye, me and Bifur spotted him just a little before Ori called us to retreat,” Bofur nodded but the captain still looked suspicious.

“As far as I know, that slimy worm only kidnaps girls from the islands, has his way with them and throws them to the sharks afterwards. But this boy looks sort of well kept and was even hidden during our attack. ”

At first Bilbo thought to correct him, to tell him that Smaug actually didn’t hide him, more than likely forgot about him when the attack started. But then he realized that if he turned out to be worthless to these men, they would probably feed him to the sharks and just being in water scared him since he never learned how to swim… Perhaps he could live, at least a day longer, if he kept his mouth shut.

“That’s why we took him, he must be special to him! What if Smaug told him some dirty little secrets while they had their precious moments…” Bofur winked and Fili, the other young man, and the man with the weird hairstyle chuckled.

“You forget that he’s a man! Would that rotten worm really fancy a man in his bed?” The man with the long red hair and beard said with disgust in his voice.

“Hey! Even if you only prefer women in your chambers, it doesn’t mean that we all do!” The young man with dark, messy hair commented and some of the others seemed to agree with him.

“Besides, look at him! He isn’t all that masculine. He even feels really nice, soft, and sensitive…” Fili smirked and this time he gained an angry glare from his captain.

“I hope, for your sake, that you didn’t do anything more than touch, since I’m going to let Oin examine him,” the captain growled and Bilbo immediately paled; what were they going to examine? That he had really been Smaug’s lover? How they were going to examine that?! If they found out the truth, that would be the end of him! But on the other hand, what kind of life would he have if they still thought otherwise..?

“I would be happy to assist Oin with his examination!” Bofur lifted up his hand but the captain acted as if he hadn’t heard him.

“Dwalin, you take him there and help Oin if needed. I don’t wish to be bothered until we know the truth,” he said and started to walk back to his room, up the wooden stairs and through two heavy wooden doors before disappearing from their sight.

“Well,” said the bald man, apparently someone called Dwalin, and he gripped Bilbo’s shoulder tightly.

“We shall not keep the captain waiting too long, shall we?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry I meant to update earlier but I have been a bit tired... But this story will definitely continue! I hope you will like my pirate dwarfs ( though they're humans here, obviously...). They're bit immature and pervert but mean well, deep inside :--) 
> 
> Again, many thanks for my incredible beta reader acornsandoakleaves! I don't know anymore how to survive without her help! And Thank You guys for giving me kudos, I can't believe I got more than 100 already! Thank you too for bookmarking this story, for giving me lots of nice comments and thank you for reading this! I'm having so much fun with this story and I hope you will enjoy it too :--D


	5. Burn my clothes and wish me luck

It was a big ship, made almost completely out of dark wood. Dwalin dragged Bilbo with him downstairs, into a dark hallway. He seemed to see very well in the near-complete darkness but Bilbo was as blind as a bat. Finally they opened one of the doors to a small room and inside sat an elderly man reading by a candle.

“Well my lad, did someone get another little scratch on themselves or what?” he asked and smirked at the bald pirate.

“Thorin wants you to take a look at him.” Dwalin pushed Bilbo forward and the small man almost stumbled over his own two feet. The man with the silver beard looked at Bilbo suspiciously from under his thick eyebrows.

“And who is he? Thorin must be out of his mind if he has hired a lad this fragile looking to sail these rough seas!” he shook his head.

 _“Thorin? That must be the captain they are referring to,”_ Bilbo thought, surprised. No one in Smaug’s ship called their captain by his name, not even when they were alone.

“He’s a hostage. They say that he was the slug’s lover.”

The old man’s eyes widened for a second until he nodded with determination.

“We have never had a hostage before… but it’s wise of the captain to bring him to me right away, especially if what you say is true.”

Then he stood up and dragged his chair away from the wooden table. He motioned Bilbo to come closer and when the small man didn’t move, Dwalin pushed him forward once again.

“Now, what’s your name, son?” the silver bearded man asked. He looked as scary as everyone else from Bilbo’s perspective, but his voice somehow sounded a bit more reassuring. He talked to Bilbo gently, as he would to a small child.

“B-bilbo…” Bilbo stuttered and the man leaned closer.

“B-boo?” he asked. Bilbo shook his head and swallowed.

“No, Bilbo…” His voice was as quiet as a mouse and Dwalin rolled his eyes.

“Speak louder! And Oin, use your horn or you won’t be able to hear anything, you old oaf!”

The older man, apparently Oin, looked hurt and took his hearing horn from his little desk before turning to look at Bilbo again.

“Your name again?”

“Bilbo Baggins… Sir.” Bilbo swallowed and this time, it seemed, he was finally understood.

“Right. I’m the doctor on this ship and I’m going to do a little check-up on you, so behave if you don’t want this to hurt, okay?” he said and Bilbo nodded quickly. He had no idea what they were going to do to him, but he would obey if that prevented pain.

To start, the doctor placed a large leather sack on his table and rummaged through it. Then he focused on Bilbo again and carefully felt his face with the tips of his fingers. He ran his fingers over Bilbo’s head, pressing his thumbs against his forehead. Bilbo had no idea why the man examined his face and head, ruffled his dirty hair and forced his eyes wide open but he didn’t say anything. Finally the doctor stepped away but the invasion of Bilbo’s personal space was not over yet.

“Take off your clothes,” Oin mumbled as he returned to his desk to write something down. Slowly Bilbo brought his hands to the collar of his shirt and swallowed.

“A-all of them?” he asked and Oin nodded.

“Yes, yes, every single piece,” he answered and put his pen down, his old eyes focused on Bilbo again. Hesitatingly, Bilbo undid the buttons and placed his shirt on the small chair next to him.

“Better hurry if you don’t want me to help you,” he heard Dwalin saying behind him and so Bilbo quickly undid the laces of his trousers. He had not had shoes since the beginning of his voyage.

When he was finally standing naked in front of the doctor and the other pirate he was aware that his skin was covered in a cold sweat. He tried to convince himself that this was all just a normal medical check-up but it didn’t make him any less nervous. When Oin’s hands touched his shoulders and lifted his chin up to reveal his neck he started to shake even more, even though the doctor’s touch was purely clinical.

“Lad? Relax, try to breathe steady,” Bilbo heard Oin say, and he tried to obey and breathe normally. Though he didn’t completely succeed, Oin continued his examination. His hands found every bruise that Smaug had inflicted and every time he touched a new one Bilbo would hiss and Oin would tut at him. He seemed to understand Bilbo’s nervousness and didn’t touch the most private places of his body but instead he focused much of his interest on Bilbo’s feet.

“You’ve got quite big feet compared to the rest of your body,” he commented and Bilbo nodded.

“Yes, I have never liked s-shoes because of that,” Bilbo said and Oin looked up to smile at him. Then he told him to sit down so he could take a better look at Bilbo’s feet. He was a bit concerned to see how bad his soles looked; the rough surface of Smaug’s deck hadn’t been easy on him.

“There are a few wounds that might get infected if not cleaned and treated,” he said at last. Then he took something shiny and sharp from his leather sack, likely his medical kit, and straightened Bilbo’s arm out towards himself.

“Now hold still,” he said and before the young man had time to react, the doctor carefully stabbed his arm. Bilbo yelped in pain and almost fainted when he saw several drops of blood emerge. Oin collected a small amount of the red liquid into a little glass vial and then sealed the wound with a strong bandage. He mumbled something about how he should be able to see the results in a few hours and then moved back to his desk and dropped the blood drops into several different bottles.

Understanding that the check-up was almost over, Bilbo grabbed for his shirt and trousers but Oin shook his head at him.

“Your clothes need to be washed or better yet, burned. Dwalin, get him some clean ones or just something to wear right now; anything is better than those old rags.”

Bilbo was well aware that the only things he owned were the clothes on his back and it suddenly felt very painful to give them up. He had, of course, tried to wash them whenever he could in Dragon’s ship but he didn’t often have a chance to do that. But before he had time to protest, to say that he could manage with his old shirt and trousers, Dwalin threw him his own shirt, the one the big pirate had worn just a few seconds ago.

“It’s not the cleanest one but will do until we find something better,” he said and Bilbo shyly looked up at the big bald pirate and his strong shirtless chest. The man was covered in tattoos, almost like someone had drawn a map of the world on his skin. Dwalin looked even more intimidating like this to Bilbo and so the short man didn’t dare look at him for too long. He pulled the shirt over his head and it reached over his knees. The neckline was almost as wide as his shoulder line. For Dwalin the sleeves had been stretched over his muscles and barely reached down to his elbows but on Bilbo the sleeves completely covered his arms and just brushed his skin. The dark green t-shirt was like a dress on him.

“Thank you… Sir,” Bilbo said and his good manners amused the doctor who once again wrote something while he sat at his desk.

“Tell me lad, how long you had been at sea with your previous captain?” he asked and adjusted his hearing horn, leaning a bit closer to Bilbo.

“I… Maybe two months. Feels like longer...” he answered and Dwalin raised an eyebrow.

“For two whole months? You must be good, then.”

Bilbo couldn’t understand what Dwalin was implying.

“And would you say that the rest of your body, except the visible bruises and wounds, is alright? You don’t feel sick or itchy or anything?” Oin asked.

“N-no. I have always been p-pretty healthy.”

“Right. I will tend to your wounds later, but first you need to wash yourself and eat something. You’ll drift away otherwise,” Oin said and turned to Dwalin.

“Tell my brother to help him clean up and ask Ori if he has some better clothes for him to wear. Also have Gloin ask Bombur to make him some food.”

Dwalin nodded and then all three of them left the cabin and returned to the deck. Oin headed straight to the captain’s cabin and Dwalin followed him after giving the red bearded pirate, Gloin, his brother’s orders.

“Darn it, do I really have to babysit this lad now?” Gloin huffed and shook his head. Bilbo would have liked to say that he was very capable of taking his bath alone and then find something to eat but he had no confidence to speak when there were so many pirates looking at him and smirking. Suddenly Dwalin’s big shirt felt too short and Bilbo fought against the urge to tug the bottom hem lower…

“If you really hate the idea of helping him wash the dirt off of himself, _I_ would gladly assist him!” the young brunette pirate touched Bilbo’s shoulder but was pushed away by Fili.

“You can hardly wash yourself, baby brother! I’ll help him!”

“You guys would only make him dirtier... Gloin, let me babysit this one!” the pirate with the spiky hairstyle said as he placed his hands on Bilbo’s waist, the shorter man trying to squirm away from his touch.

“Shut your mouths, all of you! This is why my brother wants _me_ to be responsible!” Gloin pulled Bilbo away from the other pirates and Bilbo wasn’t sure if he should feel safe or not. The angry, red bearded pirate dragged him to the other side of the deck, away from the others’ eyes. He left Bilbo to stand alone next to the mast and he threw a big bucket with a string attached into the water, pulled it back up and placed the filled pail in front of Bilbo.

“Here. Once you are cleaned up, you’ll be able to get something to eat. I’ll find you something you can dry yourself off with,” he said and instead of leaving Bilbo alone, he only took few steps forward and picked up an old rug from the floor of the deck, throwing it next to the trembling little man. The wind was cold now and Bilbo wouldn’t have preferred to wash himself with cold seawater but one can’t really complain on a pirate ship, at least not if you’re a prisoner on it. So, Bilbo took off Dwalin’s shirt, taking comfort by folding it neatly before placing it aside and then he began to wash himself. However, he was unable to take his time with Gloin’s impatient gaze on him the whole time.

“Ready? Good. Now get dressed again and follow me,” the pirate told him and quickly Bilbo did as he was told. They went downstairs and soon Bilbo understood that they were on their way to the kitchen; the smell of something greasy, rotten, and burnt gave it away.

“Bombur! Fix him something to eat and then bring him back to the deck!” Gloin yelled to the man inside before pushing Bilbo inside and slamming the door shut.

Bilbo blinked his eyes and looked around the kitchen, immediately noticing that it was at least twice as big as the one in Smaug’s ship had been. Other than the kitchen, the Dragon’s ship was probably bigger.

“What would you like, my lady?”

The man was probably the largest person Bilbo had ever seen. He was not taller than Smaug, Azog, or anyone else on Smaug’s ship, but he was the widest one compared to all of them. The man had long ginger whiskers and a merry smile on his round face. Bilbo felt safe enough to take a few steps closer and speak.

“I-I’m not a lady.”

“You’re not? Oh, you’re not! Do they all know that you’re a lad?” he asked and Bilbo nodded.

“Good. Then my brother was just playing a joke on me when he told me that we had a pretty little gal on the ship!” he laughed and Bilbo chose not to correct him.

“But you must be hungry! Sit down and I’ll give you something warm to eat. Did you like your dinner?”

Bilbo thought back to the plate of food he had eaten the night before. He nodded and the smile widened on the cook’s face.

“Great! You may have as much as you like!”

He scooped some of the brown pulp onto the large plate he had placed before Bilbo and motioned him to eat. Slowly Bilbo took few bites but he wasn’t feeling very hungry. After few more gulps he started to feel sick and when he dropped the spoon back onto his plate the cook shoved a mug into his hands.

“It’s just water, it’ll make you feel better soon.”

Bilbo didn’t exactly feel great after the drink but at least he did not feel as sick anymore. When he had emptied the mug it was immediately taken away from him and replaced with a strong handshake.

“I’m Bombur, by the way. And your name?”

“Bilbo.”

The ginger haired man nodded with a smile and then hurried Bilbo to return to the deck with him. In the middle of the stairs, Gloin came across them and handed Bilbo a pile of clothes.

“Here. Put these on now so you won’t gather anymore unwanted attention from the lads.”

“Knowing the boys, they would stare at him even if he was wearing a sack!” Bombur laughed again and the way Gloin nodded told him that he agreed with the bigger man.

The clothes Bilbo quickly put on were still a bit too big for him but at least they fit better than Dwalin’s shirt. He had been given a pair of old brown trousers and used and yellowed shirt but still whiter than the one he used to wear, however his favorite item was the long reddish coat. The red wasn’t as dark as the crimson color of Smaug’s flag and ship but it was warm and comfortable.

“I thought that our color was blue?” Bombur said and Gloin grunted back his answer.

“That was the only one we had, or so Ori told me.”

“I like it.” Bilbo’s voice was very faint and neither of the men heard him. They marched him back to the deck and from there straight to the captain’s room.

“Good luck,” Gloin said as he opened the door and pushed Bilbo in.

“You will need it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, look; I didn't even take a whole week to update this, just almost! I don't have much to say about this one, just that I'm sorry that thi isn't the most exciting chapter this fic has, pretty boring stuff happening here actually.... But the next chapter is much longer and has Thorin in it again and Bilbo will learn why these guys became pirates in the first place ;--) 
> 
> And again, big thanks for the best beta reader ever, acornsandoakleaves! You all would have a terrible headache if you would need to tolerate with my awkward English with this story :'D And Thank you all for giving me kudos (151 already!!!), commenting such encouraging comments, adding so many bookmarks and reading this so far! Thank you!


	6. The Pirate called Deadly Nightshade

Smaug’s room had been painted red and gold but the captain’s chamber on this ship was covered in warm pelts and had a bluish glow. The darkness of the room and the scarcity of light reminded Bilbo of the misty night sky. He had never liked the color blue very much, he preferred lighter and merrier colors like yellow and green because, to him, blue was a sad shade. And so this room also seemed sad, unhappy, and dark. Yet the small windows and the little sources of light that were so similar to the stars in the sky brought some comfort and hope with them.

Bilbo did not have much time to analyze the decoration further. Inside there were three men waiting for him; the muscled, grumpy man, Dwalin, a white-bearded older man, who Bilbo hadn’t met before, and of course, there was also the dark-haired, perpetually frowning captain, Thorin.  

The captain’s eyebrows knit together when he saw the color of Bilbo’s jacket.

“Were they trying to be funny when they dressed him in red?”

“That might be the only thing we have that fits him,” the white-bearded man whispered.

“Why do we even have something like that?” he grunted but didn’t wait for an answer; he motioned Bilbo to step forward and the small man obeyed immediately. But when the captain’s blue eyes fastened themselves on Bilbo, he tried to avoid meeting them.

“It’s been confirmed,” the captain said, “that you are- _were_ his lover.”

Bilbo’s eyes widened and he felt the color drain from his face. He still wasn’t sure if he should be relieved or worried about their false assumption.

“Don’t look so surprised! We’re not dumb!” Dwalin leered at him, but Bilbo was unable to change his expression.

“You were obviously treated better than some random whore but you still had multiple _marks_ all over your body and on your face so that everyone would know to whom you belonged,” Thorin said, and Bilbo absently brought his left hand to brush the bruise near his cheek. He was still unsure if he should correct the pirates and tell the truth about his wounds. If he didn’t do it now, surely, they wouldn’t believe him later when it came time to beg for mercy! But then again, if they were going to kill him, they probably wouldn’t have wasted so much time, food, and even some medical treatment on him…

“What… What are you going t-to d-do to me now?” Bilbo swallowed when he could no longer stand by and wait to see what his fate would be. The pirates seemed to be a little surprised that he would talk without being asked to.

“You were valuable to him,” the captain stated, although his expression seemed to imply that he could not figure out why.

“So you will probably be useful to us. But I’m sure that bastard is smart enough not to have opened up to one of his sluts in bed.”

“You… You think he would come and rescue me? I-is that your plan?” Bilbo blinked his eyes in disbelief and the oldest of the four men chuckled.

“He is smarter than he looks!”

“If he did try, it would be very convenient for us; that slimy worm is not easy to find.” Thorin’s eyes narrowed as he thought about how much time he had already wasted trying to catch his enemy. “But I believe that he had some kind of reason to keep you on his rotten boat besides his affection for you and I’m going to find out what that reason was.”

It didn’t make much sense to Bilbo right then but later when he thought about the captain’s words he was pretty sure he had figured out what he meant: if Smaug had truly loved Bilbo, he probably would not have risked his safety by bringing him to sea with him. So it could not have been all about the affection, and in reality it was not even a little bit, but Thorin was sure that Bilbo knew or had something that had been useful to the other captain and surely that would be of use to Thorin as well.

When Bilbo didn’t answer or confess anything right away, Thorin seemed to grow a little impatient. He didn’t like waiting and would have preferred for Bilbo to immediately confess why he had been kept on Smaug’s ship. But before they had brought Bilbo into the captain’s room, the older man with the white hair and beard had managed to calm him down.

“He will probably lie, unconsciously even, if you force him to confess everything right away,” he had told him, assuring the younger captain that it was better to go slowly with this matter.

“It’s not wise to try escaping,” Thorin said and stood up. Bilbo automatically took a step backwards even though there was still a big wooden table between them.

“My men will be watching your every step and trying to swim in this cold sea would be suicide. So make yourself comfortable here since you’re not going anywhere for a while. Or that depends on your _precious lover_ ,” the blue eyed pirate spat the last words out and Bilbo shivered when he heard the word “precious” as it reminded him, in a nasty way, of the nickname that Gollum had given to him.

The captain walked over to him and bent down slightly to see Bilbo’s small form better in the dim room. Bilbo averted his gaze again by staring at his own feet and he knew that he was shaking visibly. Thorin looked at him as if he was trying to solve a mystery.

“Dwalin, take him back to Oin,” he finally commanded. Again Bilbo was led under the deck, but this time he knew that they wanted him to stay alive and probably didn’t want to unnecessarily hurt him.

But Bilbo didn’t realize, nor did he feel like, he had been an extremely lucky man.

 

 

\----------

 

 

After his wounds were treated, Dwalin had taken Bilbo back into the room he had spent his first night in. It seemed that this room was to be used as his bedroom. Bilbo carefully tried to open the door after he had been left alone, but as he suspected it was locked. But even if it had been unlocked, how would it have helped him? It’s not like he could escape from the pirate ship!

“I can’t even swim…” he sighed and sat on the bed. He wrinkled his nose at the smell of the ointment that Oin had applied to his wounds and bruises. He silently cursed that there was nothing to do in this room, absolutely no way to kill time except to sleep. And who knew how long the pirates were going to make him stay here? Would it be until Smaug came to his rescue? Well that would never happen…

To Bilbo’s surprise, he didn’t get be alone for too long after all. The door opened and the white-bearded man from the captain’s room stepped in, locking the door behind him.

“Good afternoon,” he greeted and Bilbo acknowledged him with a nod.

 _“So it’s afternoon already…”_ he thought. His inner clock was totally broken.

The older man had a comforting aura about him and Bilbo was not afraid of being alone with him. The man sat down on the chair before the chest. He leaned his elbows on his knees and fixed his eyes on Bilbo.

“I don’t believe that you were Smaug the Terrible’s lover.”

Bilbo swallowed. He had not expected those words. Why hadn’t the man said anything back in the captain’s room?

“W-why you think so?” he managed to ask. Then he noticed the look on the older man’s face wasn’t accusing or mad. He looked at Bilbo like he pitied him.

“I have seen girls and boys who are either willing or forced to let someone use them. At some point they lose their innocence and learn how to use their body for their own good. But you’re not like that, not at all.”

Not knowing what he should say, Bilbo kept his mouth shut. He felt it was better to neither admit nor deny anything. He kept wondering if he should ask what was going to happen next but luckily the man didn’t stay silent for long before he spoke again.

“Still, I believe there must have been a very special reason for Smaug to have you with him,” he continued and his eyes narrowed just a bit.

“That was the only reason why I told Thorin to keep you here instead of throwing you into the water.”

Bilbo gulped when he heard those last words. But at least there was no need to pretend to this man that he had been Smaug’s… lover… Ugh, even the thought of it made him sick…

“So, what’s going to happen to me now?” Bilbo did his best to look brave and the man gave him a crooked smile.

“Well, there is no reason to keep you locked up down here,” he said and stood up.

“I have assured everyone that it’s safe to let you walk around as long as we know where you are, so don’t go adventuring on your own. You’re our prisoner but we really don’t like to take prisoners. So we - the crew I mean – would like to think of you more as our guest.”

A guest? Well that sounded better than a prisoner but Bilbo already knew that it didn’t mean that he would be treated any better automatically. But instead of being alone in the dark in a small room, he really would prefer the freedom to walk on the deck, even if someone would be watching his every step.

“That sounds… almost nice,” Bilbo dared to smile faintly. The old man nodded and offered his hand to Bilbo.

“My name is Balin and if you have anything you want to know, just ask me,” he introduced himself and when Bilbo shook his hand he was amazed how such a simple and political touch as a handshake felt so unfamiliar. The only ways he had been touched for the past two months was either by being violently hit or groped…

“Well, this means we don’t have to keep this door locked anymore,” Balin commented idly when he was about to leave. But before stepping over the threshold he turned to throw a look at Bilbo, which was both apologizing and teasing.

“So please don’t blame me if you get some unwanted guests in here.”

 

 

\------

 

 

“I don’t see any reason to give him such freedom,” Thorin, the captain of the ship, Oakenshield, kept muttering as he paced back and forth in his cabin. His friend Dwalin leaned against the wall, fingertips playing on the sharp tip of his dagger as he listened to the captain’s ranting.

“My brother is sure that we won’t find out his secret if we just keep him behind bars, so to speak,” he commented and Thorin rolled his eyes.

“I don’t want to know _his_ secret! I want to know where that damn island is!”

“Well, apparently the slug doesn’t know either since he is sailing these same waters and we know that we can’t even be close to it.”

“So the bastard doesn’t have the map either! Don’t know if I should be happy or not…” Thorin sighed and slumped into his chair. Both men were quiet for a second or two until the realization slowly crept into their minds.

“Unless… the shorty might know something about the treasure…” Dwalin was the one who voiced the thought aloud and Thorin’s blue eyes were full of concentration now.

“Impossible, Smaug wouldn’t have let us take him so easily if he was _that_ valuable,” he shook his head but Dwalin nodded his.

“Maybe he doesn’t know the exact location of the island or the exact value of the treasure but he might know something… Something that Smaug thought would be helpful even just a little bit.”

“We have to be clever now,” Thorin said and stood up again, eyes fixed on the portrait of his late grandfather.

“If he really knows something, he probably won’t tell us if we just ask him outright. And torturing him is the final option.”

“Why so?” Dwalin asked and glanced at his dagger.

“Because Smaug didn’t do it either. And he is much more ruthless than any one of us.” Thorin’s eyes were dark now.

“But I swear, if he truly was something more than the slug’s lover and if he really knows something about the treasure I’m going to find out. No matter what it takes.”

 

 

\-------

 

 

“Umm, hello? Anybody here?”

Bilbo looked in both directions but saw no one in the corridor of the ship.

“Who am I supposed to talk to if I want to walk around a bit?” he sighed, not wanting any trouble but not wanting to stay in the room the entire day. After Balin’s visit, Bilbo had taken a nap. He was not sure how he managed to find any sleep but he had just been too confused to leave the room right away. He was sure that he had only slept for a short while, maybe half an hour but without a clock or the sun it was hard to tell.

Slowly, he took a few steps forward and tried to remember which way the stairs to the deck were. He chose to go left, learning later that it was the opposite way. He had already started to suspect it was the wrong way when he walked past a small room he was sure he didn’t recall, the door had been left wide open.

“Hello..?” he called as he carefully peeked into the room. There was a candle burning on a high wooden box and a pile of old sacks in the other corner instead of a bed. It was raw and simple but somehow a bit cozy too. But since there wasn’t anyone in here and Bilbo was told not to wander alone, he decided to leave and try the other way. But when he turned around, he instantly bumped into something, or more accurately, someone.

“Why, hello there!”

This wasn’t the first time he had bashed into this particular pirate. He was the very same pirate who had caught Bilbo when Bofur’s tall friend threw him from one ship to the other.

“I-I’m sorry, I was just looking for someone to… Well, watch over me, I think.” Bilbo struggled to find the correct way to explain himself and the young dark-haired man in front of him chuckled.

“And it seems that you’ve found me! I’ll be happy to look after you,” he smiled and winked.

“Umm, okay… If it’s not too much bother, I mean. Thank you.” Bilbo bowed a little but immediately after he had taken his eyes off the pirate, the man roughly pushed him against the wall of the small, roughly decorated room.

“No bother at all.” Bilbo heard him whisper above him. He hit his head painfully on the wooden surface behind him and needed to blink a few times to get his vision to stop spinning. Once he did, he realized that the man’s hands were all over him, squirming under his shirt and caressing his chest.

“” _Bilbo_ ”, that was your name, right? I like it,” he breathed out with a smile and Bilbo clumsily tried to push him away.

“I… c-could you… please?” Bilbo stuttered and tried to find the strength to protect himself.

“Oh sorry, I forgot my manners! I’m Kili, at your service!” the man chirped but didn’t stop touching Bilbo.

“My brother was right, you’re really soft.”

Kili was a lot rougher than his brother had been. He wasted no time in sliding his other hand behind the shorter man’s back, down to his trousers to grope his behind. His left hand was pinching Bilbo’s chest, the skin around his nipples.

“Wha- ah! Stop!” Bilbo tried to say but the pirate was too busy to listen to him. When Bilbo lifted his hand to push him away, Kili removed his own from Bilbo’s chest and swiftly grabbed Bilbo’s hand by the wrist and pressed his arm against the wall over his head. Bilbo tried to kick him away but the pirate’s longer legs trapped his between them.

“Shhh..! I just want to touch, that’s all. Calm down,” Kili said softly and the sudden look of sympathy in his eyes confused Bilbo enough to calm down a little.

“I’m… I’m not a toy,” he said and silently cursed himself for swallowing audibly after his words.

“If you were, you would be in good hands; I never broke my toys when I was a child! Well, not more than few of them…” Kili said and suddenly the teasing smirk crept back onto his lips. Before Bilbo had time to act, Kili caught both of his wrists, pushed them up and held them against the wall with only one hand. His other hand returned to caress Bilbo’s chest and stomach.

“Just a simple, little touch…” he whispered and slightly bit the skin on Bilbo’s collarbone. When he realized that he simply didn’t have the strength to free his hands from the young pirate’s grip, Bilbo felt himself start to panic.

“That’s…. enough…” he hissed, then took a deep breath and prepared himself to shout the words louder.

“That’s-“

“That’s ENOUGH!”

Even though there was no room between the wall and the horny pirate, Bilbo jumped after hearing the loud, angry command. Kili’s eyes widened, just as Bilbo’s had, but only briefly. With a smirk, he turned to look at his uncle who glared at them while standing in the doorway.

“I was just teasing him a bit, that’s all,” he said and turned to wink at Bilbo who had gone completely white when he realized that it was indeed the grumpy captain who had spotted them just now.

“Don’t make me regret that I agreed to take you and your brother on board with me! Go and make sure that the horizon is clear!” the captain commanded and with a little disappointed sigh, Kili left the room. And Bilbo had no idea if things were any better now on his behalf.

“I was just… um, looking for someone so t-that I could take a w-walk-“ he tried to explain, but the words died away when Thorin suddenly hovered over him, murderous eyes nailed on him.

“You! Balin told you _not_ to wander alone, right? Are you stupid or just ignorant?”

“I j-just explained that I really was looking for someone so that-“

Bilbo snapped his mouth shut when Thorin’s fist hit the wall behind him and the captain was even closer to him now. Though he didn’t touch Bilbo, the short man nearly felt even more uncomfortable than when Kili had had his hands all over his body.

“No excuses! And make sure that this is the last time you seduce one of my nephews, whore,” Thorin nearly spat the insult out and gave Bilbo one last angry glare before turning around and yelling at someone called Nori to come and watch over their _guest_. When the man with the funny triangular hairdo appeared on the threshold, Thorin stormed out.

“Wow, you really know how to bring out the best in him!” the man chuckled before bowing in Bilbo’s direction.

“You wanted to take a short walk, my lady?” he asked, offering his hand to Bilbo while wearing the same teasing and cunning smile that Kili had before.

“Yes. Please,” Bilbo nodded but didn’t reach to take the man’s hand. The man, Nori apparently, chuckled and wrapped his arm around Bilbo’s waist anyway. Bilbo knew that it was useless to try and push him away.

“You know, seeing Thorin all troubled like that is quite amusing but if I were you I would try to behave; none of us wants to see you all beat up, not when we finally have some eye candy on this ship,” Nori winked, gaining no answer from Bilbo who was more than a little hurt by Thorin’s words.

Through his life, he had been called many names but somehow the tone of Thorin’s voice stabbed him hard.

Bilbo hoped he would feel better when he finally smelled the fresh air. It was a grey and cloudy day, but if you looked very carefully you could see hints of blue in the sky. It looked like nearly the entire crew was on the deck and as soon as Bilbo appeared there with Nori, everyone started to smirk and look eager to have a little chat with their “guest”. Bilbo tried to ignore the staring and continued to walk forward until he was leaning against the railing, gazing somewhere far away. Suddenly Bofur appeared next to him and actually smiled gently at him.

“Cheer up, lad! Aren’t we treating you pretty well here?”

“Yes, thank you… I just, I just miss my home,” Bilbo said, which was likely a lie since he hadn’t known what a home was since his father’s death.

“Yeah, I know the feeling.” He heard Bofur answer and his tone had a sad longing in it. Bilbo turned to look at the pirate whose eyes were lost on the horizon, his face serious for the first time. Bilbo was very tempted to ask what he meant; perhaps he had a home somewhere too. Did pirates have homes besides their ships? Bilbo had never really thought about it. For him, pirates were lonely, merciless wanderers who didn’t really belong anywhere. But something in Bofur’s tone of voice and the look in his eyes told him that he might have been wrong.

“But when we find the Arkenstone, it will all be as it should again!” Kili said, having suddenly appeared on Bilbo’s other side, and his comment made the smaller man too curious to keep his mouth shut anymore.

“The Arkenstone..?”

“What, the slug didn’t tell you about it?” Fili said, he too having silently appeared next to Bilbo.

“Or maybe you’re trying to fool us by playing stupid…” Bofur smirked.

“Come on! Like it would be a secret anyway!” Kili laughed and patted Bilbo on the back. His brother stretched his arms before starting to explain.

“You see, that disgusting, spineless snake and our uncle- I mean captain, Thorin, have both been searching for the Arkenstone for years. Our great grandfather found it when he was a young sailor but that lizard – your _ex-lover_ I mean – stole it from him and burned the island where we all lived. Not long after, the pale bastard who is, apparently, now one of the slug’s shipmates, killed him. His son, our grandfather, disappeared into thin air. He ran away from all the misery that our family had suffered and he left the revenge and the search for the Arkenstone to our uncle.”

“But the thing is, the snake doesn’t have the Arkenstone anymore either,” Bofur added.

“We don’t know exactly what happened,” Kili took over, “but the rumor is that he actually _fell in love_ and gave the Arkenstone to his lover! Can you believe that?! But as his whore, you probably already know that he doesn’t do love, so it’s more likely that he was stupid and let a wiser pirate trick him. Anyway, that pirate got the stone and disappeared with it.”

“They call that pirate ‘Deadly Nightshade.’” Fili shoved his brother over and continued the narrative. “No one knows where he is now, or if he is even alive. But what is agreed on is that he hid the Arkenstone on some unknown mystery island. They say that he only drew one map that would lead to the island and the Arkenstone but as far as we know nobody has never seen the map or even knows where it’s hidden!”

“You know, Captain and the slug aren’t the only ones who have searched for the treasure; they are just the only ones who haven’t given up or died during their quest,” Gloin said, having walked closer to listen to the story. Bofur nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, these are very dangerous waters! There are all kinds of monsters and typhoons!” he said with a laugh but Bilbo was sure that the man wasn’t joking just now.

“And you all believe in something like that… I mean, you believe all those rumors?” Bilbo couldn’t help but ask since it sounded, to him, like a legend from a book.

“Absolutely!” Gloin vowed, a slight hint of hurt in his proud voice.

“Believing is our only hope, like the Arkenstone is too; finding it is the only way to get our home back and get our revenge on the slug,” Fili said, no longer merry; he sounded plaintive.

“The Arkenstone is a legendary stone,” Kili hurried to explain, “They say that it has magical powers. Our great grandfather made great sums of money while he still owned it.” Bilbo slowly turned his eyes back to the horizon; it seemed to continue on into eternity.

“You’re sure you’ll find it? Without a map and all?” he asked, voice as faint as a whisper.

“Nah, the map is the key; without it, it will surely take forever to find the island.” Fili shook his head.

“But Thorin believes that the island must be somewhere on this sea, since there haven’t been many who have been brave enough to sail here.”

Bilbo didn’t dare ask how long they had been searching for the map or sailing the seas trying to spot the mystical island. But judging by the longing looks everyone wore now after reminding themselves why they were here, it seemed like they had been at sea for a very long time. For him, this sounded like they were going to spend an eternity on this ship!

And then he realized that maybe the same fate was waiting for him: either that or death. It’s not like anyone was going to save him and he could not escape…

Bilbo began to understand that he was doomed to go through this hopeless quest with these pirates, maybe even be killed by them, a sea monster, or a typhoon before he could ever hope to walk on the shore again. He clutched the railing and looked the endless sea in front of them. Besides the desperation, he felt something else in his chest. He hated himself immediately for feeling it and so he tried to suffocate it. He knew that he could blame all those stupid books he had read for this.

 _“No, don’t you dare..!”_ he reproached himself silently and held his breath.

_“Don’t you dare feel excited!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRY GUYS I MISSED A WHOLE WEEK!!! This chapter is one of the longest ones so I hope that makes this up a little.... And, this chapter also ends the first part of this story, I don't yet know how many parts there will be but definitely more than three. 
> 
> Thank you all for your lovely comments, I'll try to answer them all soon! And thank you for kudos and bookmarks and thank you so much for reading this! And again, big thanks to my best beta reader acornsandoakleaves!


	7. PART TWO: Of Young Men and Storybooks

The first week on the blue ship had been much more pleasant than any time spent on Smaug’s vessel. But that didn’t mean that it had been perfect either.

Sometimes Bilbo felt that if he stood still for more than a second or two there would be someone next to him who couldn’t resist touching him. The pirates who tended to do so were the young brothers, Fili and Kili, and the men, Bofur and Nori, though they weren’t as big of a problem as the younger ones. The big bald man, Dwalin, and the red bearded man, Gloin, didn’t seem to care much about his presence at all. Most of the time, Bilbo felt that they rather despised him, just like the captain of the ship did… Thank god Bilbo hadn’t seen that man around very often anymore!

The other pirates Bilbo had met, Bofur’s cousin, Bifur, who never spoke and only grunted, the doctor, Oin, the old advisor, Balin, and the cook, Bofur’s brother Bombur, seemed to like him. At least they treated him with respect and didn’t grope him all the time. The old men, Oin and Balin, never did. Bifur and Bombur only groped him occasionally.

The situation he was in now was much better than anything he had experienced in the past few months. At least he was sleeping in a bed instead of on a hard floor with rats and no one ever raised their hand to hit him.

“You’re not bored are you, princess?”

Bilbo glanced up to see Kili who was staring down at him with a smirk. His second week on the ship had just begun and Bilbo was sitting against one of the masts, minding his own business.

“If he’s just going to sit there, we might as well make him scrub the deck! I don’t understand why we let him freeload!” Gloin came near to share his opinion and Bilbo was almost in agreement with him; it was odd that nobody had forced him to work yet.

“Come on, Gloin! Just look at him! His body was not made for scrubbing dirty decks! He is more suited for scrubbing totally different thi-“

“Yeah yeah, no need to finish it.” The red bearded pirate rolled his eyes and went back to practicing his skills with his sword.

“You know, I did lots of cleaning when I still lived on shore,” Bilbo said, not liking the way in which the pirates seemed to treat him like a lady.

“Oh really? Were you a servant?” Kili asked and Bilbo shrugged his shoulders.

“You could say so.”

“Wow, no wonder the slime kept you then; you must have been a professional _servant_ ..!” Kili teased him and Bilbo let the comment slide. He was still unsure if these men would feed him to the sharks if they knew that Bilbo had not been Smaug’s lover. Balin seemed to be the only one who knew the truth.

“Hey look, I’m sorry.”

Surprised, Bilbo lifted his head to stare up at Kili again and the young pirate suddenly smiled almost apologetically to him.

A pirate apologizing was new to Bilbo.

“Um, you’re sorry for what?”

“For saying things that make you feel uncomfortable. Or rather, saying dirty things about you. I kinda like it when I make you uncomfortable though.” Kili grinned but Bilbo kept staring at him, silently prompting him to be clearer, and so the pirate continued:

“You’re an innocent-type and pretty nice to have around. I’m not like my uncle; none of us wants to abuse you, well at least not too much. We’ve just got this weird sense of humor,” he winked and Bilbo was a bit amazed. Again, no pirate had ever apologized to him, and now that he thought about it, not a single person had done so for years…

“That’s… okay… Thank you.” Bilbo nodded and slowly stood up. Kili’s childish grin turned more cunning.

“Well, are you going to fall for me now, princess?” he asked and leaned closer, bending down a little to stare the shorter man in the eyes. Bilbo sighed; it seemed that even though some of the pirates were sorry for making him feel bad by calling him hurtful names they still weren’t going to give him any space.

“You know, I think I would like to retire to my room now,” he said and walked passed the younger man. But Kili was quick to grab a hold of his arm.

“Come on! I can see you’re still a bit hurt! Let me make this up to you!”

“I-I’m not, really..! I just want to-“ Bilbo started to stutter, not really keen to find out how exactly Kili wanted to make things up to him…

“What, you just want to go back to your room and sit there in the dark until it’s time to sleep? Really, is that what you used to do on the shore too?”

That made Bilbo stop and think. He remembered those lonely evenings and nights when he just sat in his room, gazed out to the sea from his little window and read about unbelievable adventures until he fell asleep.

“Kind of… But I worked hard during the days and read books too,” he admitted and Kili caught the taste of longing and sadness in his voice. Though he enjoyed making fun of this prisoner/guest of theirs, he understood too clearly what it meant to miss something.

“You like books? We have books here too,” he said and when Bilbo turned to face him with sparkling eyes, Kili couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Really? You do?”

“Yeah of course we do! Come, I’m sure that Dori and Ori will let you read every single one of them! Though if you ask me, those old paperbacks are kinda boring…”

And so Kili pulled Bilbo downstairs and through the dark, labyrinthine hallways. Finally he stopped and pushed the shorter man inside a room. Bilbo stumbled forward and almost ran into something- or rather, someone.

“Hey Dori! Show Bilbo our little library please! I’m supposed to have a match with Fili soon!” Kili said to the dark figure that stood before Bilbo and then the young man hurried back up on deck to his brother.

Bilbo blinked his eyes and tried to see what kind of man Dori was. The pirate didn’t say a word to him, he just sighed. This made Bilbo wonder how many men this ship really had, how many were hiding inside its dark corridors.

“Umm, hello?” Bilbo tried and the man greeted him coldly but politely back.

“Good afternoon. Follow me,” he said and lead Bilbo further inside the ship. It was really hard for him to follow the man when he couldn’t see properly in the darkness but Bilbo managed to walk after him and not bump into anything. Finally he heard a door open and faint candlelight met their eyes. Bilbo followed Dori inside the room where one lonely candle was burning on a desk, lighting up the corner in which it was placed. There was still not much light, but Bilbo could now see Dori better; the man was only just a little taller than him, maybe just a bit younger than Balin and Oin and he had a short and neat white beard.  

“Ori! Wake up and look after our priso- _guest_ I mean. He wants to see the library,” Dori announced to someone and left the room, but even with the candlelight Bilbo couldn’t see anyone else in the room. He hoped that when Ori showed up he wouldn’t be as scary as Dwalin or the captain…

And suddenly, a pile of papers started to move on the desk and white sheets fell to the floor. When someone lifted his head underneath them, Bilbo jumped backwards and brought his hand to his heart.

“H-hello…” he stuttered and the man behind the desk mumbled something, yawned and then brought the candle in front of himself to light up his face and to see Bilbo better.

“Good evening… Or morning.”

When Bilbo saw the sleepy man’s face, he breathed out in relief; this _man_ looked like a teenager, just a child.

The boy slowly moved to shake hands with Bilbo but was still too sleepy to look Bilbo in the eyes and just let his head hang low.

“I’m Ori. You were someone called Bilbo, right?”

“Y-yes! Bilbo Baggins, that’s me.”

The boy was also taller than Bilbo, not by much however. He wore big baggy clothes but his skinny arms and fingers told Bilbo that the boy probably didn’t have the same kind of muscular body as the other young men, Fili and Kili, did. Judging by how calm the boy seemed, Bilbo was sure that he wouldn’t get into any, umm, _uncomfortable situations_ with him.

“So, I need to show the library to you?” Ori rubbed his forehead. He looked around in the dark room and went back to the desk to light up another candle. Then he lifted it above his head and pointed at the wall next to him.

“Well, take a good look.”

And Bilbo did. The candle lit up the area of the high wall behind the desk and if he hadn’t known that he was inside a ship cabin he could have sworn that the wall was built from books, thousands of books..!

It took a few minutes for Bilbo to ask what kinds of books they were; books on sailing perhaps?

“There are some, well, storybooks like my brother calls them, but there are few about geography, history, seafaring, etc…” Ori answered with a yawn.

“I have read them all and I have to say that the history and storybook ones are the most interesting you can find-“

“You have read them ALL?!” Bilbo gasped and surprised Ori with his abruptly loud voice.

“Ye-yeah, I have…” Ori nodded, a bit unsure since he couldn’t understand why the shorter man looked and sounded so impressed.

“Wow! There has to be thousands of them!”

“A little less than two thousands, to be accurate.”

“What?! You’re amazing if you have read them all! It must have taken years, cost you your whole youth!” Bilbo tried to joke, feeling happy enough to do so. Ori’s eyes widened a bit more and he looked a bit awkward before speaking.

“I just turned fifteen a few days ago.”

Bilbo stopped talking and slowly turned around to look at Ori again.

“You’re… you’re just a child?”

Oh… Bilbo had just thought that the boy only looked young. He thought that Ori must have been at least eighteen, to be allowed to sail on a pirate ship. But if pirates didn’t respect laws, why would they care about their children’s wellbeing?

“I’m not a child! I’m a pirate, as ruthless as everyone else you have seen!” Ori snapped but didn’t manage to sound threatening.

“I’m sorry, I just… Well, I couldn’t have brought myself to sail when I was your age, and I don’t think that I have even read two thousands books in my entire life!” Bilbo explained and Ori’s annoyed expression changed to pride.

“I have been here since I was twelve. Captain’s nephews are only two and four years older than I am.”

The Captain’s nephews, Fili and Kili? Oh god, were they really just kids too?! Bilbo started to feel guilty when he thought of how such young boys had sacrificed their youth to be part of a pirate crew… They must have seen terrible things already… Why did he felt guilty, it was not like he had pushed them into this?! Or maybe he felt that way because he had cried himself to sleep some nights when he was still living with his relatives, thinking how miserable his life was. At least he had a roof over his head and steady ground outside of the house and was not forced to fight alongside criminals…

“Bilbo?” Ori asked when Bilbo suddenly went silent and just stared at Ori’s clueless face. The boy looked too young to be here with his big eyes and skinny figure.

“Umm, what exactly do you do in here? I haven’t seen you on the deck,” he asked and Ori answered by lifting a heavy looking logbook from the table.

“The weather, the fights, the islands we pass… I write them all down. I also blow the horn as a signal if we need to retreat from a fight.”

“So you don’t fight?”

“Dori won’t let me…”

Ori had two older brothers with him on the ship; Dori and Nori. Dori had taught him everything he knew about literature and writing. From the way he seemed to protect Ori, Bilbo got the feeling that the man was more like a mother than an older brother to him. Nori, on his behalf, was the “thrilling” brother who sometimes taught Ori to fight and showed him “useful” tricks like how to snatch someone’s wallet or watch.

“It’s good. It’s good not to fight, not at such a young age...” Bilbo muttered, the last sentence said so quietly that it was sure Ori didn’t hear him; if he had, he would have talked back. Bilbo also didn’t want to talk about this topic any longer; he knew that he would only get more anxious if they continued.

“So... Umm, which shelves are the storybooks on?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRY IT'S ALMOST BEEN A MONTH! I didn't mean to take that long to update, I swear! I got a big workload and high fever so time just flied.... 
> 
> But but..! I'm so happy about your comments, I try to answer them all later! Thank you so much for kudos and bookmarks and for reading my story and special thanks to my awesome beta reader acornsandoakleaves, she always does fantastic job with the chapters! :--D


	8. Magical liquid and familiar face

_“You’re no good to your men if you don’t sleep at all.”_

_“I can’t sleep when it’s a full moon.”_

_“Are you superstitious or something?”_

_“Me? Never. I just can’t.”_

_“Well, lucky for you, I have this magical liquid with me that will lure you sleep in no time!”_

_“What the hell is this..?”_

_“Tea, my love.”_

 

-

-

-

-

 

 

“Captain? There’s a ship on starboard.”

Smaug blinked his eyes open and rubbed his forehead; the full moon hadn’t let him sleep tonight either. The headache was agony but it was not like he hadn’t gotten used to it over the years. The Red Dragon pushed himself up from the bed and he took few seconds to make sure that his appearance was respectable enough and then he marched out of his chambers.

“What kind of ship?” he asked his first mate Azog, who told him that it was most likely a merchant ship.

“We do need some restocking,” the pale man explained and Smaug nodded. He truly wished that the ship contained some tea.

“Though I had hoped that it would have been the Oakenshield; can’t wait to sink my hook into Durin's flesh!” the bald man snickered and Smaug threw him a glare.

“It will be ME who is going to take his life, understood?”

“Sure my captain, sure…” Azog muttered, fingers playing on the tip of his hook, eyes narrowed.

When they arrived on the deck Smaug fished his telescope from his jacket’s inner pocket and fixed his eyes to the ship on the horizon. Yes, a merchant-ship, that was for sure. He tried to think of the quickest way to rob and burn it when an annoying whining noise interrupted his thoughts.

“Gollum, shut your useless mouth and I might let you eat some of the moldy bread that ship carries,” he hissed through his teeth but the promise of food better than rats didn’t quiet his most useless crew member.

“We miss Precious, captain! Our Precious is gone..!”

“What precious-“ Smaug started until he remembered to whom Gollum had given that stupid name: oh yes, he had almost forgotten about the short curly haired boy they had had on the ship. After the attack by the Oakenshield, he had been too busy planning his revenge to have any need to command the kid to his cabin to chat in the evenings. It had been his luck that the blue captain had not known his alliance with his other enemy, Azog the Defiler, when he managed his surprise attack. The unknown alliance had caused the other crew to retreat and Smaug’s men were too confused and caught off guard to give a proper fight. That had been his first close call in years, and he was furious.

“Well, it’s your own fault for losing your “precious”… Did he catch some nasty disease or did you accidentally kill him? I hope you have already thrown the body into the sea,” Smaug idly commented while loading his gun.

“No! We didn’t do anything! Doesn’t captain remember?! The stupid dwarves stole our Precious away that night!”

 _Dwarves,_ was the sobriquet that Smaug had given to Oakenshield’s men, since every single one of the crew was shorter than him and had either whiskers or beards or both. And now come to think of it, he hadn’t seen the short boy after their attack a couple of weeks ago. Oh how delightful! Did Thorin really think that by kidnapping one of Smaug’s men, one of his most _useless_ men, it would give him any leverage against him? Like that flower-boy they had taken with them few months ago even knew anything special about this ship or about him! Thorin Durin was wasting his time!

Though, Smaug must admit that he might come to miss, a bit, the small man’s company. Only a little bit though.

“Well, you’re free to take a new precious from that ship,” he promised but Gollum wasn’t satisfied.

“But we want our old precious! We want Baggins-precious!”

“What did you say?” Smaug’s eyes narrowed on the skinny form of the other man when he heard the surname of their former prisoner.

“Precious name was Bagginssshh..!” Gollum cried and by now Smaug had lifted him up by his neck, strangling the bony rat-eater.

“Are you sure that was his real name?!”

“We.. grah! When we f-found Precioussssh- agh! Precious sto-stood in front of a h-hou- agh-se a-and th-e door..! The d-door said “Bagginssshh..”!” Gollum choked out while his captain was squeezing his throat. Finally Smaug threw him back on the deck and the whole crew stared as a strong emotion burned in his eyes.

“You tell me you can read, you scum?” Smaug hissed and he thought that maybe the kid could have easily been just a servant and not a member of the family, but then again…

No, it must have been…

How didn’t he come to think of that earlier?

The boy _had_ looked familiar, after all.

The pieces started to connect in his head and a wicked grin slowly spread to his lips when he understood everything. Then his eyes went cold once again when he remembered that the boy was now in Durin’s ship.

Did the bastard already know what he had just realized?

“Don’t worry, Gollum; we’ll get Precious back as soon as possible,” Smaug said and the whole crew looked confused and almost shocked.

“What?! The kid was useless here!” the cook, Bert exclaimed, and if Smaug hadn’t already put his gun away he would have shot the man. He was lucky Dragon only kicked him in the face, sending him flying across the deck with a broken nose.

“I said that we will get him back, understood?!” Smaug roared and everyone started to nod, terrified. Then the captain turned to look at the merchant ship that had, by now, spotted the pirates and was trying to flee as fast as possible.

“But now boys; let’s show those fellows what we’re going to do to the Oakenshield when we come across it again…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry that it took me again a month to update! Me and my beta reader have been busy after schools started but I hope you still want to read this fic, since I'm absolutely gonna finish this one, I never leave a work unfinished! I'm also so sorry that I haven't been able to answer your lovely comments, I try harder in future! But I'm really thankful for every single one of you who have given their time to write me few absolutely lovely words, thank you all! Also big thanks for everyone who have given kudos and add bookmarks, thank you! 
> 
> I promise to update next chapter next week! After that the updates might slow again but this will definitely continue :--) 
> 
> And like in the previous chapters, this one is also beta read by amazing acornsandoakleaves!


	9. Crazy pirates and the Suicide jump

The previous couple of days Bilbo spent mostly with Ori downstairs, reading and discussing books. When he felt more relaxed, and when he was sure that the captain wasn’t around, he would take a book up with him on the deck and read there if the weather was fine. Though when he was outside he could never fully let his guard down, since some of the pirates still liked to express their… hmmm, let’s call it _affection_ towards him by letting their sneaky hands wander up and down his soft body. Though luckily no one had been as rough with him as the captain’s nephews when he first arrived on this pirate ship, thank the lord for that!

Today the sun was up, occasional white clouds dancing in front of it from time to time and there was absolutely no land or other ships to be seen, no matter how far you looked. So Bilbo had once again made himself as comfortable as he could on the deck’s hard floor and was reading a book about rare sea creatures when he noticed that almost every crewmember was on the deck too. He started to feel uncomfortable and decided to retreat downstairs back to the library with Ori. But when he got up, Nori’s hands pressed down on his shoulders and forced him to sit down again.

“Sorry beautiful, but today is a bit different; we all will be needed up here so don’t go anywhere,” he winked and Bilbo was still too scared of the rough men to disobey him.

And when Nori had said that they all would be coming up on the deck, he had been right. Even Ori, whom Bilbo had never seen out in the sunlight, was there with his brothers, rolling his eyes while Dori preached to him about something. Then Bilbo heard heavy steps behind him and swallowed hard.

_“Oh no… If they are all going to be here, that means him too…”_

And yes, everyone included, of course, the Captain, Thorin Durin. Bilbo had miraculously managed to stay out of his sight for the past two and half weeks and seeing him again now made him feel exactly as helpless as he had felt when he had first seen him. At least one positive thing Bilbo realized, is that he had gotten just a bit more used to the other pirates around him, not being quite so afraid of them anymore. But he was pretty sure that he would never be any less afraid of Thorin’s presence.

But the other pirates started to look more intimidating when Bilbo noticed how they all had their guns, swords, and other weapons in their hands as Thorin ordered them to stand in a row. Bilbo wasn’t standing with them, he had frozen on the spot where Nori had left him and was watching from the sidelines.

“Put the firearms away; we cannot afford to waste any bullets. Today is only swords and axes,” Thorin told his men who obeyed immediately. Then he pulled his own sword from under his dark-blue cape, probably the most beautiful and powerful sword Bilbo had ever seen, not that he had seen many, and pointed the tip at Gloin who was holding a heavy looking axe in his hands.

“Gloin, you’ll start.”

The red-bearded man nodded and walked in front of Thorin, then lifted his axe and with a terrifying roar charged towards his captain.

Bilbo couldn’t help but yelp and he closed his eyes tightly. Metal rang against metal and then he heard another, this time, more surprised cry. After a moment of silence, he dared to open his left eye to peek and he saw Gloin laying on the deck, frustrated but unharmed. Thorin pulled him up and shook his head.

“Enough force but too predictable and direct. But better than last time,” the Captain said, and swearing silently Gloin walked back to the row.

Oh, now Bilbo began to understand; they were training. Well, that would have been obvious if he hadn’t been too scared to realize that.

Though every attack looked disastrous, Bilbo only flinched every time the axe or sword met Thorin’s own and he couldn’t help but be amazed at how Thorin dodged or prevented every single fast and powerful attack. He wasn’t the captain of this ship for nothing.

Some of the men, though, seemed to give him more of a hard time than the others. Dwalin was almost his equal with his axe and they didn’t even finish their fight for they knew that they could be practicing with each other the whole day if they kept going. Also, Fili was surprisingly good against his uncle even if he was one of the youngest lads on the ship. With Ori, Thorin clearly went easy and Bilbo later learned that the boy practiced only enough to be able to protect himself if a need for that ever came. Also Balin and Oin took the training a bit easy, being very old and probably needed more elsewhere than in the fighting field.

“Enjoying the show?” Fili asked as he sat down next to Bilbo. He was all sweaty from training and he had discarded his shirt at some point. There was no denying that Fili was a very handsome man and had a very impressive body even if he wasn’t as muscular as Dwalin or his uncle. Bilbo had not yet seen Thorin without his shirt on, but the tight clothes under his cape didn’t leave much to the imagination.

“You’re all very good with… umm, with your weapons.” Bilbo nodded, feeling a bit insecure to admit aloud how strong his captors were.

“You know, my special skills lay on much smaller weapons than swords, like little daggers for example. I have plenty of those hidden all over my body,” Fili whispered and Bilbo didn’t know if the boy was trying to flirt with him or intimidate him. It turned out to be flirting very soon after, when Fili leaned just a bit closer to him to whisper again:

“Want to try to find them all?”

Pretending not to hear that, Bilbo turned away and saw that Thorin was just finishing the last round with Bombur.

“Umm, you are very talented with the sword too, it’s hard to think that you’re just… just nineteen.” Bilbo tried to turn the conversation to something less awkward and he was still more than just a bit bothered about the age of some of these pirates, some of these boys. Well, besides Fili, Kili, and Ori everyone else seemed to be in their thirties at least but still… Everyone younger than himself felt too young to live a life like this.

“How do you know how old I am?” Fili asked surprised.

“Huh? Oh, Ori probably told me.”

“So you have been asking about me? That’s sweet,” the blonde pirate grinned and tried to scoop Bilbo into his arms but the shorter man dodged his hand.

“I mean… Only because I feel like… Umm, that you’re very young to live a life like this,” he explained and Fili chuckled at that.

“You speak like you weren’t just a child yourself.”

“I’m twenty-five.”

Fili’s eyes went wide and he couldn’t help but stare at Bilbo for a moment.

“No way..! You can’t be six years older than me! I thought that you were just seventeen or something!”

Bilbo hoped that the boy would keep his voice down. He didn’t want to gain everyone’s attention, especially not Thorin’s!

“I don’t look like a teenager, you have to admit that!” Bilbo tried to keep his voice low but determined.

“But you’re so small and soft and cute!”

This time Fili managed to sneak his hand over Bilbo’s shoulders and pulled him into his lap. Bilbo struggled out of his hold and stood up, almost panicking.

“Stop! Your uncle will kill me!” he hissed but Fili didn’t seem to care about his uncle’s opinion right now.

“Come on! You said that you liked to watch me training, I’m just allowing you to look a little closer.” Fili got to his feet too and pulled Bilbo by his wrist to be chest-to-chest against him.

“I didn’t say it like that!” Bilbo tried to squirm away, really hoping that Thorin or the others weren’t looking at them; he was too scared to turn his head and see if they were. Then suddenly Fili’s other hand slid from Bilbo’s back to his ass and squeezed one of the cheeks hard.

“Wha-What are you doing?!” Bilbo yelped and his reaction seemed to amuse the taller blonde.

“Hey, don’t act like this is so new to you; after all you have been here half a month and before that you shared a bed with the slug.”

“That’s… I don’t… Please just-“ Bilbo tried, almost saying _just not here where your uncle can see us_ but then he realized that Fili could take it in a way that it was all okay if they just weren’t under others’ eyes.

“Come on, I bet that I’m much better at everything than your old, slimy lover. Heck, I bet I would be the best you’ve ever had!” Fili smiled and tried to move his hand inside Bilbo’s pants. Bilbo tried his best to push the boy away but even though Fili was six years younger than him he was also much taller and at least six times stronger than Bilbo, so it was futile. Would these guys be this persevering if they knew that Bilbo was still a virgin? Or would they try even harder?

Bilbo’s hopes of being invisible to others had indeed being futile; everyone was staring at him and Fili, maybe not from the start but at least now, and Thorin was looking at them with a very cold expression in his eyes. But there was a hint of a perplexity in his face too and he suddenly seemed to realize something. He marched towards his nephew and Bilbo, yanking the blonde away from their prisoner.

Bilbo felt that it took all of his courage just to stand there in front of the angry pirate captain: His head felt light, his stomach heavy, and his feet unsteady. But Thorin must have seen that Bilbo didn’t try to _seduce_ Fili and that he had done his best to stop him. Surely he couldn’t put all the blame on Bilbo this time!

“You! Go and learn some self-discipline!” Thorin growled at his sister’s son. Fili seemed to be as unaffected by his uncle’s words as Kili had been two weeks ago; he only shrugged, not showing any fear but still moved away from Bilbo and Thorin. Nephews or not, every man in this ship respected their captain.

“You will come with me.” Thorin grabbed Bilbo by his right arm and started to pull him towards the blue cabin. At the door of it Bilbo remembered Gloin’s words from the last time he had stood there: _Good luck, you will need it._ Well, Bilbo just hoped that he hadn’t used all of his luck already…

Once inside the cabin, Thorin slammed the door shut and Bilbo couldn’t stop shaking.

_“Is he going to kill me? Probably not, why make a mess here when the deck is easier to clean than a rug? Oh my god, do pirates even think that practically?! Or is he going to beat me up so I wouldn’t “seduce” his nephews anymore? Hopefully it doesn’t hurt much more than when Dragon got angry…”_

These thoughts ran through Bilbo’s head faster than a wild tide and the flow of terrified thoughts stopped only when Thorin turned to face him again and pushed him against the nearest wall. Bilbo’s hands flew automatically next to his head and his protective instincts tried to get his hands to move to Thorin’s shoulders and push him away-

“Don’t move.” Thorin’s low voice had a clear warning in it: move, and I’ll make sure you will never move again. Not wanting to see and especially _feel_ how this pirate captain would break his every bone, Bilbo glued the backs of his hands to the wall and even tried to keep himself from breathing too loudly. He didn’t want to annoy this man anymore.

Had Bilbo known how to read Thorin Durin’s constantly grim expression, he would have understood that the man wasn’t actually very angry anymore. He didn’t shout, didn’t make any fast or harsh movements. He looked at Bilbo’s body like he had never seen another human being and set his big hand almost carefully on the smaller man’s neck.

 _“Is he going to strangle me? Oh yeah, that wouldn’t make a mess at all, no blood and body-parts lying on the floor… Oh god!”_ Bilbo swallowed hard and Thorin felt that as a little jolt on his fingertips. The dark haired pirate thought back to the day when he had first seen this small man. Oin had told him that there were plenty of healing bruises on his neck, caused by strangling. Well, that was just the kind of sick thing that a bastard like Smaug would like to do to his playthings in bed and that was only more proof that Bilbo had shared an intimate relationship with the other captain; there were still some light marks left on his neck.

 _“He had more on his arms, chest, and feet…”_ Thorin tried to remember all the places that the ship’s doctor had listed out to him when he told him where Bilbo had more wounds and bruises. He ignored the other man’s shaking when he moved his hand lower, pulling the white shirt downwards and revealing more fading bruises, and saw a couple of light scars next to them.

Bofur and Bifur had found this man in Smaug’s bed, under the covers just a few minutes after their attack. The slug had appeared on deck from that very same room. Thorin had no first-hand experience of sharing the bed with his worst enemy and had absolutely no interest to know about his love life, but he would bet his own head that the lizard didn’t do anything “tender” and “soft” with his lovers. So it had been obvious that Bilbo had been his personal whore. There was absolutely no reason for Smaug to keep a landlubber like him on his ship otherwise.

But…

Out of curiosity, Thorin moved his wide palm to Bilbo’s hip and the short man flinched. He frowned and lifted him up and pushed his knee between Bilbo’s thighs.

“W-what?!” Bilbo breathed out, shocked.  

 _“Doesn’t he know where this is leading to?”_ Thorin thought and slid his left hand to Bilbo’s bottom, moving the right one to his chest. Too scared to disobey, Bilbo had managed to keep his hands next to the wall, even when Thorin had lifted him higher.

“You can move your hands.” Bilbo heard the captain say but he really had no idea why. Thorin moved his face closer and the bright blue color of his eyes seemed to only get deeper. Bilbo couldn’t look away.

“Do to me what he liked you to do to him.” Was the next order, Thorin’s voice rough and low.

It wasn’t clear to Bilbo whom Thorin meant when referring to _him_. But since Bilbo had only ever talked with Smaug and had absolutely no experience in this area with anyone, he was completely lost. Plus, he was too scared and nervous to even try to talk right now, more so to move his hands to _touch_ the man in front of him!

But, did he really have a choice? Fear and die, try and maybe live; that’s how he saw it.

So, arms trembling, he moved his left hand to Thorin’s shoulder, the fingers of the right one lightly touching the collar of the pirate’s shirt.

 _“Great, what’s next?!”_ he panicked internally. Oh, how he regretted that he hadn’t bought that dubious looking book that the shopkeeper had suggested to him when Bilbo had only been a teenager! The man had even said that it had some nice pictures too, he could have actually learned something from it! But even though Bilbo was tempted just the tiniest bit to buy the book, he knew that it wasn’t safe to bring something like _that_ to his relatives’ house; they didn’t really respect his personal stuff…

But, now was not the time to think about his uncles and aunties! Now was the time to try his hardest to seduce one of the most dangerous men in these seas! Bilbo slid his hand down Thorin’s arm and his nervously trembling fingertips played with the fabric of the pirate captain’s shirt. The fingers of his right hand tried to solve how to untie the laces of his shirt. He started to feel dizzy when he realized that he had forgotten to breathe right after this absurd scene had started. To prevent himself from fainting, Bilbo allowed himself to close his eyes for a second and took a deep breath in. He had not even had time to exhale when Thorin’s voice cut in.

“You haven’t done this before.”

His eyes flew open and he was ready to defend himself by saying that he was just nervous or that Smaug never really made him do anything. But then his eyes met the pirate’s and the look on Thorin’s face was so solid and sure that Bilbo knew it was useless to lie anymore.

“Yes…” He whispered and let his hands drop at his sides, his head dropping to stare at the floor.

“You let us believe that you were his lover.” Thorin stated and Bilbo, who was sure that he would meet his end soon anyway, smiled shortly and sighed.

“You didn’t really give me a chance to explain if I recall correctly.”

“Because there is no other reasonable explanation for the fact that you were found in his bed covered in bruises and scratches.”

In his fright, it didn’t occur to Bilbo that Thorin really didn’t sound angry; only serious, but not angry.

“He wanted to talk… Almost every night, he wanted to tell me what he had done, where he had k-killed and how many… He punished me if I didn’t respond correctly or if I asked too much. But sometimes he just wanted to talk about the painting he had there.”

Thorin found this all very hard to believe. Then again, Bilbo was way too innocent to be the lover of a criminal and this was the first time he spoke without stuttering too much, so he was probably telling the truth.

“You’re not one of his men.” Thorin stated another fact and Bilbo nodded.

“I was kidnapped by mistake about two months before your men took me here. I know nothing about Dragon or his men, nothing about any treasures or any maps, nothing that anyone would ever find useful against them.” Bilbo swallowed audibly a couple of times between sentences but otherwise managed to keep his voice steady. It felt oddly refreshing to tell the truth and oddly calming too, even when he knew that by saying those things he was practically convincing this man to kill him.

And like Bilbo after his speech, Thorin too stood unmoving and quiet. Bilbo spent this time praying silently to himself that his death would be quick and painless and he would meet his parents again in heaven or wherever he was about to go. But Thorin didn’t want to kill him. He took his time staring at the smaller man and trying to figure out why he actually didn’t want to end his life. When he first saw Bilbo, Thorin had noticed –as almost every one of his men had – that Bilbo was easy on the eyes. Not as beautiful as some girls they had seen on the shores but still pretty attractive with his big eyes, soft skin and curly hair. And his appearance had only convinced them to believe the story about him being Smaug’s lover. And since women on a board were told to bring bad luck, it would only make sense why the other captain chose to take a cute man with him. When Thorin still had believed that Bilbo used to slept with the so called dragon he had felt rage inside himself; this little man had shared the bed of his worst enemy for months and he still dared to pretend to be innocent and shy around men!

But it was different now. Bilbo truly was as innocent as he had acted. And now when Thorin was able to look at him without seeing Smaug’s hands all over his body he started to feel something other than disgust. He started to understand the appeal that his nephews and some other crewmembers felt towards this man. And Thorin didn’t feel this way often, if ever! Sometimes when they decided to have a drink or two on some far away island many of his men used the opportunity to spend some time with some lovely ladies but Thorin wasn’t ready to let his guard down with anyone. Fooling around with random hookers seemed like a waste of time when they were still searching for the Arkenstone. But Bilbo wasn’t a random whore. He seemed to be an immaculate, well-behaved young man and wasn’t trying to seduce men of the seas for money or information. That made him different and somehow fascinating.

“Has anyone ever touched you?” He found himself asking and Bilbo’s eyes flew wide open, as if that had been the last thing he had expected Thorin to ask him now.

“No…”

“How old are you?”

“Twenty-five.”

“Twenty-five and still a virgin?” Thorin’s voice was incredulous. Bilbo started to feel himself getting a little bit angry under his fear.

“I lived in a house where I did every damn chore and had no friends to go out with to meet anyone since there wasn’t anyone around my age living nearby.”

 _“Was I really that lonely back then?”_ Bilbo found himself idly thinking later, reassuring himself that he had always had his books to keep him company. If he wanted some romance in his life he could read _Romeo & Juliet _and get a good lesson about the fact that love eventually kills.

“So you’re completely inexperienced?” Thorin wanted confirmation and Bilbo threw him an actual glare.

“Yes?” What, did he really need to spell it out for him? Or did Thorin just want to humiliate him-

“So if I were to take you now, I would be your first ever?”

The fear and confusion drowned the anger in Bilbo’s head. He suddenly became too aware of how close Thorin was standing next to him and how the pirate captain’s voice didn’t sounding mocking; he seemed to be dead serious.

“What..?”

“Just answer my question.” Thorin was getting slightly impatient.

“I- umh, yes…” Bilbo dropped his head to stare at the floor again. He didn’t want to think about what could still possibly happen to him before his death… Oh god, was it even possible for a man to do anything like that to another man or was Thorin still thinking that Bilbo was a girl or what else could he mea-

“Then it’s settled,” Thorin said and turned suddenly to walk back to the door.

“Huh?” Bilbo blinked his wide eyes and when Thorin opened the door and nodded for Bilbo to follow him he was too confused to move an inch. But when Thorin commanded him to follow him with an impatient voice Bilbo was out of the cabin in few seconds.

Outside, the whole crew looked like they were about to die of curiosity. Their keen eyes were glued on their captain and his guest when Thorin walked in front of his men, Bilbo standing next him. Then Thorin placed his hand on the smaller man’s shoulder and after making sure that he got everyone’s attention he started to speak.

“Everyone! It is clear now that we have made a mistake: This man wasn’t the lover of our slimy enemy.”

Balin was the only one who didn’t look surprised after hearing his captain’s words. Everyone else though was looking at Bilbo and each other in shock.

“So if he wasn’t his lover he probably doesn’t know anything useful about the slug?” Kili voiced his thought aloud and many started to look a bit plaintive. Bilbo thought that it was because they were disappointed but the reason for their apathy was completely different.

“But that doesn’t mean that we need to feed him to the sharks, does it? I mean, what a pity it would be! Such a pretty boy and all,” Bofur said and many started to nod and hum in agreement.

“Yeah uncle, don’t do anything hasty, why can’t we keep him here as our little pet or-“ Fili started but Thorin’s command interrupted him.

“Silence! I have made my decision and you will listen to me! No one, no one but me is to touch this man, understood? He is mine to have and take whenever I please and you all know to keep your fingers off of him, am I being clear enough?”

Everyone, especially Bilbo, was stunned. Knowing that Bilbo would live to see another day was relief for them all but to think that their “I’m too serious to fall in love” captain now wanted to have this cute little man all to himself was more than unexpected.

“What the hell happened in that room?” Gloin bent down to whisper to Ori who just shrugged.

“Well, I believe that everyone here knows to respect your property, Thorin.” Balin answered on everyone’s behalf and Thorin nodded, seeming pleased. But Bilbo wasn’t going to just swallow that. He had been ready to die just few minutes ago, thinking that he had nothing to lose. He was still scared as hell but at the same time he was so damn tired of being silent when others were deciding his own life! The last straw was when he heard Balin calling him “Thorin’s property” and he felt like it was better to die than live as a tool.

“Wait, just everyone wait! I may have lived most of my life as other people’s slave but I’m no one to use whenever they please! Not anymore! You know what? I’m tired of this! Ever since I was brought to that first pirate ship I have expected to die at any second! And I’m tired of that! If this is what my life is going to be, then… t-then just k-kill me right now!”

During his outburst Bilbo had stepped in front of Thorin and closed his eyes. No, he didn’t truly wish to die. But when he said that he was tired of fearing he had meant it. Well, at least he had got to speak his mind to the rude captain and his pervert men before leaving this world.  

The silence seemed to go on forever. No one said a word and Bilbo fought to keep his posture straight and his eyes closed. The captain was probably looking furious. Hopefully he didn’t plan to torture Bilbo before ending his life…

“Hahahaaa! We sure have a piece of gold here!”

Bofur’s laughter made Bilbo’s eyes snap open and before he had time to turn around and look at the pirate, almost everyone had joined in the laughter and clapped their hands.

“The snake was a fool when he let him go that easy!” Nori winked and Bifur, standing next to him, grunted in agreement.

 _“These men are crazy!”_ Bilbo swallowed and couldn’t figure out what was so funny about this situation. Then he felt Thorin’s hand on his shoulder again and the taller man forced him to turn around to look at him.

“I’m the captain of this ship, _your_ captain and I decide whether you will live or die as well as it’s for me to decide _how_ you will live and die, understood?” He spoke with a deep voice, and somehow did not sound angry but rather more demanding than ever. After he spoke he ordered Dwalin and Balin to follow him to his cabin and announced that the training was over for today.

Right after those three disappeared to the room everyone else gathered around Bilbo and it seemed to be safe for them to pat him bluntly on his back and shoulders.

“Well done, Bilbo! Thorin hasn’t shown any interest in anyone like that for years!” Bofur smiled.

“You know, if you really wanted to die you should have just jumped into the water,” Dori told him, almost reproachingly.

“What… What just happened?” Bilbo really couldn’t figure out what had actually led him into this kind of situation.

“We should have told you that uncle Thorin likes it when things aren’t just given to him nicely; he likes to fight to get what he wants,” Kili winked.

“Just keep that attitude and it will be him who’s on his knees, praying for you to become his own!” Fili said and the laughter went on and on. Bilbo was too stunned to listen to their words anymore and he wasn’t sure what he should be afraid of now; it seemed like no one wanted him death for a while at least.

“But… He couldn’t be serious, could he?”

“Listen to us, lad; Thorin Durin never, never ever jokes. You should just make the best of this situation,” Nori advised him. And he was right, if this was how Bilbo’s life was going to be, he should just try to live it as well as he could. He came to understand that slowly in time, but back then when he was standing frozen on the deck surrounded by merry pirates he almost, just almost, wished that he had jumped over the edge when he still had been even a little bit willing to die.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Look, I kept my promise and updated this week! But unfortunately the updates will slow down again, since I haven't got time to finish the next chapter and I also need to send it to my beta reader before posting it in here. But I try to be as fast as possible, so this fic will continue sooner or later, I don't leave my works unfinished :---) 
> 
> Thank you guys for your superlovely comments! They really make my day! And thank you for kudos (how this fic has already got so many?!), bookmarks and thanks for reading the story this far! Also big big thank you to my awesome beta reader acornsandoakleaves! See ya all soon (hopefully)!


	10. Four fish and happy whishes

The rocks were slippery. His father squeezed his shoulders, prevented him from wandering around, too scared that his only son would slip and fall  into the cold dark water below. But Bilbo was just six years old; it was hard  to just stand still. 

“Is mommy’s ship coming soon?” He asked and yawned; it was so early that sun had barely even risen.

“Any minute, son.” His father nodded, eyes glued to the empty horizon in front of them. 

They had done this many times before, stood there many  times waiting for  the woman they loved to come back home. They always came too early and  stood like statues until they saw  the little dot appearing on the skyline.

“Look Bilbo! Mommy’s coming home!”

Then they ran down to the harbor and Bilbo was wandering restlessly among the sailors and merchants. 

“Is your mother coming home Bilbo?” One familiar old sailor asked and the little boy nodded enthusiastically. 

“How long she was away this time?”

“Like two whole months!” Bilbo held up ten fingers to the man who laughed.

“That’s ten fingers my lad; that would mean she was away for almost the whole year!”

“It felt like a thousand years!” Bilbo pouted and then hurried back to his father who was helping the men rope the ship into place. The merchant ship started to unload its goods right away and Bilbo and his father were anxiously trying to peek over and under the barrels and boxes to see the deck. It took a while until they saw the curly haired, smiling woman hurrying towards them.

“Mommy!” Bilbo jumped into his mother’s arms andshe immediately started covering him in kisses.

“Bilbo! My sweet, sweet little son! You have grown so much!”

“It’s been only two months; he hasn’t grown that much.” His father placed a warm kiss on his wife’s cheek and she laughed heartily.

“He has, you just haven’t noticed it.” 

The  Baggins’ were absolutely the  warmest and weirdest family that anyone  on the island had  ever  met. It was  very  unusual that a mother of a small child spent only  a  month or two at home before running  off  to another adventure  on the sea and  leaving her husband to take care of the house. For Bilbo though, this was all very normal and although he loved to spent time with his father , he always missed  his mother terribly . 

“Are you unhappy here? Is that why you always leave?” he had once asked his mother when she was again packing her things.

“No sweetheart, of course not! Mommy just needs to go away so that mommy can come back,” sheexplained. To be honest, Bilbo couldn’t understand what his mother really meant by that, but once he grew up he began to realize that his mother had just been one of those restless souls, one who would rather die than stand still. She was the complete opposite of his father who just wanted to take things slowly, tend his precious garden and read books with a warm cup of tea.

So during those days between her trips  in to  the big, unknown world, Bilbo was practically glued to his mother ’s side . His favorite thing was to listen  to  all  the exciting stories his mother told him about  foreign  countries, sea monsters , and pirates she had encountered. As Bilbo  g rew older he  began to understand that not everything his mother told him  was  exactly true, but the stories were entertaining nevertheless. 

“But what happened to the chest?” Bilbo asked when his mother had finished telling him about how she and some vicious pirates had found their way onto a legendary treasure island where they fought against monsters that were guarding giant piles of gold. 

“Oh, the one that contained the queen’s diamond crown? It was eaten by the giant monster, it’s probably still in its big belly,” his mother winked but this time the ending didn’t satisfy Bilbo.

“But you went through so much trouble to get that crown! Weren’t you sad when you didn’t get the treasure?”

“But I did get the treasure, the greatesttreasure of all!”

“What? What is it?!” 

“You, my silly, sweet little son! You’re my greatest treasure and don’t you ever forget it!” His mother kissed him on the nose and then hurried her little boy into bed. His father came to tuck him in and placed a glass of water on the nightstand.

“It’s nice to have mom back, isn’t it?” He asked, though he knew the answer, of course.

“Yes! Mom is so brave, she told me how she killed a giant spider with a sword!” Bilbo exclaimed, and his father smiled.

“Would you like to sail the seas and kill monsters someday too, just like mom?” he asked and suddenly Bilbo paled.

“No… I like it here, with you. The sea sounds scary and I’m not brave like mom.” Bilbo was an honest child and many times he had thought of how scary it would be to actually leave his island home. 

“It’s nice that you want to be with daddy, but… I mean, sometimes I think that it would be great if you would like to be more like mommy.”

“Why? Don’t you like me when I’m being more like you?” Bilbo asked so seriously that his father couldn’t help but laugh.

“I’m sorry Bilbo, I didn’t mean it like that! It’s just, you’re your mother’s son and although it’s nice that you like to be home with me I think that this world needs more people like your mother, more people who aren’t afraid to face the unknown and take matters into their own hands.” His father explained but he only ended up confusing his son more.

“I don’t understand…”

“You don’t need to, not yet. Daddy was just thinking about things too much. But maybe someday you’ll understand what I meant.” His father patted his little forehead before wishing him goodnight. 

Like  every time before, after  a  couple of weeks Bilbo’s  mother volunteered on another ship and  once again  left her little family for a month or two. She came back with stories about  a triple-headed giant  sea monster , dragons , giant eagles, beautiful fairytale-like islands and other far away, unknown things.  Until one fateful day came and her ship didn’t return. 

Bilbo was just twelve when  another merchant ship sailed  into  port to  break the news about the stormy night , how it had seen from afar  the small ship struggling  with a broken mast against the cold waves until the sea swallowed it,  without leaving a single soul to witness the sunny morning afterwards. Bilbo’s father tried to keep  his sorrow at bay by focusing on his garden and the pretty flowers that had once charmed the most amazing woman in his life. He didn’t talk much anymore, didn’t  smile even once after his wife’s death. He barely ate anything at all and began to waste away. Bilbo, his only son and companion , didn’t know how to help him. He tried just to be there, to listen if his father ever wanted to talk. But there was only one time his father wanted him to listen, just  a  few days after Bilbo’s fourteenth birthday.

“Bilbo…” his father started and laid his tired eyes on his son as they both sat in the living room.

“I once told you not to be afraid of the sea… to be more like your mother. I just… just want you to know that even after everything that has happened I still want this for you. After all, you’re your mother’s son and… and I want you to be happy.” 

Bilbo couldn’t look at his father while he spoke, he just couldn’t. Bilbo never stopped loving his mother, but seeing what her death did to his father, to their family , he couldn’t help but think how selfish his mother had been  to leave home  and sail around the big wide world. Other mothers never left their homes. Bilbo understood that his mother had  only been a teenager when she had him and she missed her freedom but still …. And he couldn’t  understand how walking  in his mother’s footsteps would make him happy. Bilbo had always feared the sea and knew how dangerous it was, his mother’s death only proved his point. He wouldn’t be selfish and leave his father all alone.

But, as we know, Bilbo never needed to  make the choice to  leave his father. Only  a  few weeks after that short conversation, his father passed away and Bilbo was transferred to another island where his father’s relatives lived and there he stayed until the most feared pirate of the seas accidentally captured him. And even after being kind  of “rescued” to another, more merciful pirate ship , Bilbo couldn’t say that this sea-life was making him any happ ier .  Pirates and death-threats aside , he still couldn’t understand how anyone  could enjoy such an unsteady and unsure life. Sometimes his father’s words rang in his head, telling him to be more like his mother and be happy. Whenever that happened, Bilbo tried his best to block that voice out of his mind and start to think  of  something, almost anything else. But  perhaps , if only Bilbo had looked at his father at that time , he  might have thought of his father’s words differently.

“ _You’re your mother’s son and…”_

Right after  saying  those words, Mister Bungo Baggins had smiled for the first  and last time after his wife’s death.

“ _I want you to be happy.”_

 

 

 

 

 

“Please be happy.”

 

-

-

-

 

 

 

Bilbo woke up and  realized  the pillow was wet under his cheeks. Gosh, only one stupid dream about his family and he – a grownup man – had cried in his sleep. Slowly he got up, wiped his face and tried to find his clothes in the pitch black room. It was probably early in the morning, but since there were no windows or any  other sources of light in his room , Bilbo was forced to cope with the dark during the mornings and  days. He liked to save the candles and matches  for the evenings and sleepless nights to bring  himself  some comfort.

Once Bilbo found his way out of the cabin and into the hallway, he  saw faint rays of light sparkling in the staircase that led up to the deck. Good, he had been right; it was an early morning after all. 

It was just two days ago  that Thorin had  declared that Bilbo was  his property and  because of that Bilbo wasn’t much of a prisoner anymore, he had  gained permission to move around in the ship on his own. Once on the deck, he drew a deep breath and tried to make out the blue sky behind the gray clouds. Then he noticed that he probably was the only one around,  except there should always be someone on the deck to guard  it  and- Oh, Bofur was there, leaning  against the rail and apparently fishing. The pirate quickly noticed Bilbo too and waved  him closer . Bilbo didn’t hesitate much  now , after all, the other pirates were not allowed to touch him anymore.

“Hullo! Nice to see someone else awake this early too!” He greeted the younger man with a smile. 

“We’re starting to run out of food supplies so I’m trying to get us something fresh.” Bofur explained as Bilbo looked inside the bucket next to him; there were already two big fish inside.

“It’s been a good morning,” Bofur nodded towards the bucket. The pirate placed the fishing rod on the deck for a minute to attach new bait, a piece of old bread to the hook. Bilbo took a closer look at the rod and noticed how it had some very pretty, incredibly tiny details carved onto its surface; there were some birds and waves and fish, all very carefully made.

“It’s beautiful.” Bilbo commended and gestured towards the fishing rod. Bofur’s wide smile widened even more and he proudly straightened his back.

“Thanks, I made it all by myself!”

“What… I mean, wow, you’re incredible!” Bilbo was amazed and Bofur picked the rod up for him to have a closer look. 

“You know, I used to be a carpenter before I started on this so-called sea life.” the pirate chuckled and his words made Bilbo realize something, something he had only thought of briefly when he first met these pirates. His face must have mirrored his thoughts because Bofur read him instantly.

“Yeah, we haven’t always been criminals. Expect Nori, of course, he’s hopeless.” 

“So you used to live on the shore too?” Bilbo questioned and Bofur nodded in reply.

“Yeah, I used to live with my brother and cousin and we all did honest work. Bombur was a cook, I made furniture, tools, and little toys and Bifur did all kinds of jobs that required muscles and no talking. Those were peaceful days.” Bofur thought back and smiled fondly at the memories. But he knew that Bilbo would rather die of curiosity than ask why everything had changed so he decided to save the poor guy from that and so, without beckoning, he continued.

“Must not surprise you that it was our old enemies, Dragon’sship, that found its way to our island one beautiful day. You can probably guess what happened after that.”

Bofur kept on smiling but Bilbo noticed  that it didn’t reach his eyes anymore. He knew the destruction that Smaug brought with him and he didn’t need to imagine the horrors that Bofur and his family had seen.

“We were the only survivors. We left to find a new place to start all over again but we didn’t really fit anywhere. And when we thought that we had finally found a suitable island Bifur started to get some unwanted attention because of his scar and his unique way of communicating. Many thought that he was either a pirate or an idiot and one night while in a bar he had had enough of the constant mocking. He threw the bastards out through the windows and wooden walls and would probably have killed someone if Bombur and me had not been there to stop him. “

“So you couldn’t stay on that island either?” Bilbo felt comfortable asking and Bofur nodded again.

“Fortunately Thorin, Dwalin, Balin, Gloin, and Oin had been there to witness the whole fight. Thorin was looking for suitable men to fight against Dragon and search for the treasure with him and he wanted Bifur to join his crew. After hearing our story he welcomed us all to come and sail with him and of course we agreed. It was a perfect opportunity for revenge and to have a place to stay.”

“ _But what will you do after the revenge?”_ Bilbo thought but didn’t dare ask. Bofur was a smart man, surely he had realized that if they succeeded they would have to live on the road again. Except this time they would probably either be rich and honored after defeating Smaug, or they would forever be despised as filthy pirates. 

A real smile found quickly its way on to Bofur’s lips when he caught his third fish  of the morning. While placing the new bait he continued the story, this time  in a bit merrier tone.

“We found the Ri-brothers soon after that. Nori had been sentenced to death after stealing something from someone he shouldn’t have and his hanging was the hot topic on the island where we had found our way to just a couple of days before his _deadline_. We were , by coincidence, walking near the marketplace where his hanging was about to start when we saw the most interesting show ever! The man had been clever enough to undo the ropes that were binding his arms behind his back, then he stabbed the soldiers with a knife he had at some point managed to pick pocket and hide inside his shoe, and then he was suddenly running free, guards chasing him through the town! We knew that without help he would be caught again sooner or later and we would really have use for his, hmmm, let’s call them _talents._ After saving his criminal  arse, Thorin offered him a place in the crew. Nori accepted, but only if he could bring his two brothers with him, since they would be in great danger if the guards didn’t find him. They would have most likely been accused of hiding him and killed because of that. So we also welcomed Dori, the honest, mannered but a very poor man and his kid brother Ori onto the ship. Fili and Kili joined us after that with their mother, Thorin’s sister Lady Dis, who couldn’t stand the sea life for more than few months and decided to wait for her family to return on a safe island that Thorin had found earlier and oh- look! A fourth one!”

Bofur dropped the fish in to the bucket with the other three and looked at his catches proudly. Just then they  heard Gloin walk behind them  and tell Bofur that it was his turn to be on guard duty.

“Though I’m sure you slacked off again. It will be your fault if someone attacks-“ Gloin mumbled but Bofur’s laughter drowned his complaints. 

“Yes, yes, my friend! Don’t worry, I kept my eyes and ears open the whole time and so did Bilbo, right Bilbo?” Bofur looked at the shorter man who hurried to nod, even though he had been too busy listening to Bofur’s story to even give a glimpse towards the horizon…

“As long as we get something good to eat…” Gloin growled quietly and Bofur motioned Bilbo to follow him downstairs and into the kitchen.

“Come on, let’s leave that grump alone, the fresh air will brighten him up in no time!”

Once they were in the kitchen and had handed the fish to Bombur, Bofur fetched  a  couple of mugs and poured them some ale.

“It’s still morning.” Bilbo said when Bofur handed him the drink.

“And this is the best way to start it!” 

Bombur started to dress the fish while Bofur and Bilbo sat down to enjoy their lukewarm ale. Or, Bofur was enjoying it , Bilbo didn’t really care  for the bitter taste. He would have probably left to  the  library if he hadn’t been  so  curious to know more and Bofur seemed to feel like talking too.

“So you don’t know how the others… I mean, Dwalin, Balin, Gloin and Oin joined this crew?”

“I don’t know the fancy details, but Oin was Thorin’s family-doctor and Gloin was one of his friends, so they probably wanted to help get revenge. And Balin was Thorin’s grandfather’s advisor and Dwalin and Thorin are practically brothers, grew up together and all.”

“Wait what?! A family doctor? An advisor?” 

Wow, that all sounded so upper-class to Bilbo! He hadn’t paid  much thought to what Thorin had been before he started his pirate-life. He only knew what Fili and Kili had told him, that Thorin’s grandfather had found the Arkenstone when he was a young sailor, then Smaug stole it and later Azog killed the old man. Thorin also seemed to have at least one sibling, Fili and Kili’s mother who refused to sail with them. But that was all Bilbo  knew about his current captain. All  of that and the obvious  things, such as, he was very rude, scary and strong, of course. 

Bofur seemed to be pretty good at reading Bilbo’s expressions, but this time he thought it would be more fun not to explain  any more.

“A bit fancy, eh? You should ask Thorin to tell you his life-story, after all, he is kind of your _husband_ now.”

It turned out to be a good  thing that Bilbo had not drank his ale; he would have otherwise spit it straight  i nto Bofur’s face. 

“It’s… It’s not like that!” he protested and started to rub his forehead with his fingers. 

“Well, it kind of is, because nobody else is allowed to touch you anymore. Plus I don’t see any other reason for him to keep you here if he didn’t like you. And even though I disagree with our captain here in pretty much everything, I must say that he has very good taste when it comes to picking a mate.” Bofur winked and finished his ale. Bilbo took a deep breath and tried to acknowledge to himself that this man was just provoking him and he should keep his mouth shut and not encourage him. 

But if Bofur had intent ed to tease him more he never got  the chance to do so. Suddenly Dwalin marched in the kitchen, shirtless and sweaty, poured himself a large mug of ale and drank it all down in a one gulp. 

“Training hard this morning?” Bombur asked as he started to cook the fish his brother had caught.

“Just some basics and after that I had a match with Bifur.” Dwalin muttered while breathing heavily.

“Did my cousin beat you up again?” Bofur smirked and Dwalin, eyes narrowed, walked in front of him and slowly told the man to fuck off, that Bifur had only beaten him once. Apparently the bald man didn’t really like to be reminded of that incidence. 

Wh ile Dwalin was hovering over Bofur – his intimidating appearance having no effect at all on the whiskered man – Bilbo got a closer look  at his tattooed body. Many of the tattoos were as carefully detailed as the engravings on Bofur’s fishing rod. They were all like little pieces of art. There were, like on the rod, seagulls and fish but there were also maps, sea creatures, some unknown letters and shapes, anchors and spinning wheels. Bilbo didn’t  dare look for too long even if he really wanted to, since he didn’t  want the man to notice hi m staring. He pretended that he was really interested  in the insides of his mug until Dwalin hurried out of the kitchen. 

“Don’t worry; Thorin has few tattoos too,” Bofur said suddenly and Bilbo flinched.

“I-I didn’t-“

“My eyes are not as sharp as Kili’s but I do notice things. You seemed to be fascinated with them.“ Bofur grinned and Bilbo explained that he just hadn’t seen many tattoos in his life. 

The door opened again and this time Nori peeked inside.

“The bald muscle-brain left already?” 

“Yup, came and went.”

“Good, wouldn’t have liked to deal with him this early in the morning.” Nori sighed and smiled when he smelled the fish. Then he noticed Bilbo and greeted him with a wide smile.

“Good morning, my queen. Did you sleep well?” 

“Fine, thank you.” Bilbo said and rolled his eyes at the stupid title. 

“Bilbo was just admiring your little brother’s handwork on Dwalin’s _sweaty, toned_ _,_ and _muscular_ body.” Bofur teasingly dropped the adjectives  from his mouth and Nori’s eyes narrowed just a little. 

“Ori made the tattoos?” Bilbo sounded surprised; the boy was amazingly talented for his age!

“Most of them at least.” Bofur said, then leaned closer and toned his voice down just a little, pretending to whisper but still speaking loudly enough for the others to hear him.

“You know, Dwalin didn’t want to take Nori with us from the beginning; said it would be too much hassle to deal with a street criminal. But when he saw little Ori he suddenly wasn’t against having the brothers on the ship. When we noticed Ori’s artistic skills, Dwalin started to ask him to design and make him tattoos. Though if you ask me, I bet he keeps asking him to make more just to feel those clever fingers on his skin all over again and again-“

“Fuck off Bofur! I don’t wanna imagine my brother with that son of a bitch,” Nori snarled and went to steal little pieces of the cooked fish. 

“But Ori is just fifteen and Dwalin is... over thirty at least?” Bilbo asked carefully and Bofur grinned.

“Yeah, no matter how scary the guy looks I don’t think he has the guts to make a move until the kid is a bit older. Though some girls start to sell their bodies when they turn thirteen-“

“Or as soon as they got something to offer.” Nori threw a comment in.

“Yup, so you never know. Fifteen is already a man when we are at sea.” 

“But don’t still start putting any ideas in anyone’s head about my brother and the baldy.” Nori warned his friend again, his eyes serious. 

“Food is ready! Fili and Kili shared the nightshift so I put some aside for them. Nori, take these to your brothers and Oin. Brother, you go and bring these to the deck for Gloin, Dwalin and Bifur. I’ll take these to captain and Balin.” Bombur ended the strained conversation and started to organize the plates. When he lifted up the tray that had Thorin and Balin’s share, Bofur stopped him and grinned slyly. 

“Why not let Bilbo take it to them? He had something to ask Thorin anyway, what’s a better way to chat than eating breakfast together?”

“I don’t actually have anything to ask!” Bilbo protested but Bombur had already added his share to the tray and pushed it into Bilbo’s arms. 

“You know where his cabin is, right? Captain and Balin usually start the morning by going through the plans and all that complicated stuff.” Bofur walked Bilbo to the deck and turned the other way to serve the food. Sighing loudly, Bilbo walked in front of their captain’s door and couldn’t make his legs stop shaking. He wasn’t as scared as when he first knocked on Smaug’s door but he couldn’t help but feel anxious. But the tray started to feel heavy so he knocked, hoping that it would be Balin who would open the door…

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Do you know what, this story has more kudos than any of my older fics! And the main events have just started, there are still so many things to tell! I'm so happy, thank you all so much! Thank you all for also commenting, I try to answer as many as I can, you all have been so lovely when you have given your time to write me :--) Thank you all for reading this fic, kudos/comments/bookmarks and views give me inspiration to keep writing! 
> 
> And like the chapters before this one, this is also beta read by the awesome acornsandoakleaves! She has once again done awesome job!


	11. Torn maps and Monsters under us

“Well, Dori already confirmed it last night; there are absolutely no maps or any written information about these waters we’re currently sailing on.” Balin stated, his voice serious.

“Except the map that _Deadly Nightshade_ has hidden.” Thorin frowned behind his desk.

“Yes, without his map, there is little to no hope to find anything here. Try to believe me now son; the map is our only hope!”

“If one pirate has managed to find solid land here, then so will I! With or without a map!”

“So you’re ready to risk everyone on this ship just to find that island? Thorin, we have already started to run out of food supplies, we can’t go on for many weeks more-“

“Shut up, Balin.”

“It’s best if we turn back to the west, restock the ship and-“

“Just shut your-“

 

_*Knock knock*_

The heated conversation was interrupted by a very timid knock on the captain’s door. Thorin was about to get up from his chair but Balin motioned him to stay put and walked over to open the door. When Bilbo saw the old man’s face in front of him, relief washed over him. But he started to sweat again when he saw that the grumpy captain was inside the room too, and he looked _really_ frustrated.

“I um… I mean, Bombur told me to bring the breakfast.” Bilbo explained and Balin invited him in with a faint smile.

“Just place the tray on that table, lad.” Balin pointed to the smaller, dark wooden table that was next to the door, at the other side of the room where Thorin’s desk was seated. Then the older man noticed that there were three portions and his smile suddenly widened.

“Glad you decided to join us.”

“What? Oh, no, I mean- I can just go eat outside, you were probably in middle of something important and I don’t want to interrupt or-“ Bilbo spoke so fast that Thorin and Balin didn’t quite catch every word. Without regard to Bilbo’s nervousness, Balin picked up his plate and mug and started to walk out of the room.

“Don’t worry, our meeting just ended. I’ll leave you two to enjoy your breakfast in peace, and Thorin, please at least think about what I said.” And with that, Balin left the room, closing the door after him.

 _“Balin is probably the only one who can speak to him like that…”_ Bilbo thought, not knowing he was absolutely right. Balin was most likely the closest thing to a parent that Thorin had. Well, Bilbo hadn’t heard of the captain having a mother, only his missing father, so he felt safe to assume.

Thorin had turned his back on Bilbo and was at that very moment staring at the old sea maps that were hanging loosely on the wall behind his desk. Bilbo decided to use this opportunity to bring Thorin’s portion to his desk without actually having to face the man but when he was about two steps away from the desk Thorin suddenly let out a growl and immediately started to rip the maps down with fast, harsh movements. Bilbo froze where he stood and watched as the pieces of paper floated in the air, one white corner finding its way onto Thorin’s fish.

When Thorin stopped, back still facing Bilbo, the smaller man still didn’t dare move. After a minute or so, he swallowed and took two more steps and placed the plate and mug carefully, almost soundless on the captain’s desk. Before he had even let go of them, Thorin’s cold voice made him freeze again.

“You’re afraid of me.”

It was a statement, not a question. Bilbo was about to deny it but shut his mouth when he understood that lying wouldn’t do any good.

“You’re not afraid of others; you talk and spend time with them.” Thorin continued, voice low and dangerous, eyes still fixed on the now bare wall.

Bilbo was surprised that Thorin knew- well, of course he would know. He is the captain of this ship and he claimed Bilbo as his, of course he knows how he spends his time and whom he spends it with.  

Bilbo tried to think of something to say, something that wouldn’t anger Thorin. But before he came up with a good reply, Thorin had turned to look at him and the look on his face was just as dangerous as his voice. And just as fast as he had started to tear the maps down, he now reached to grab Bilbo by his coat collar, pulling harshly but easily he made the smaller man lay on his stomach on the desk, right next to the plate and mug.

Bilbo was forced to lean on his arms to lift his chest up when Thorin didn’t let go of his coat. Now when he turned his head he was face to face with the angry pirate whose eyes were narrowed and accusing.

“You fear me as if I’m a monster like _him._ And what have I done to you? I have not hurt you, I have let you do whatever you want in here and I don’t ask a single thing from you in return.”

As he spoke, Thorin had pulled Bilbo off the table and the weaker man would have fell on the floor face first if Thorin hadn’t continued to grip his collar. But Thorin seemed to like Bilbo on the desk because he didn’t waste any time pushing him against it again, this time making him lay on his back. Bilbo was still too scared to speak, but he did let out a little, miserable whine when Thorin pinned his wrists on the wooden surface and loomed over him. When Thorin leaned closer, Bilbo shut his eyes tight and forced his mouth to speak.

“You th-think that this… makes me any l-less afraid… of you?”

Thorin didn’t move any closer but didn’t move away either.

“I have only been good towards you. You know that if I wanted to I could just take you here now, with or without your consent. Nobody would stop me, no matter how much you might beg and scream.”

Thorin’s words made Bilbo’s blood cold. He desperately wanted to push the other man away but he guessed that it was probably the fight that Thorin was after; he probably was doing all of this out of the same frustration that made him to tear down the sea maps.

“But why me?” Bilbo swallowed and opened his eyes, although he still refused to meet Thorin’s gaze.

“Do you w-want me just because I’m something that was stolen from… _him_? Even when you know that I meant n-nothing to him, does it still feel like you’re getting some sort of payback… like j-just a little compensation?”

It was clear to both of them who they were referring to when they spoke of _him._ Bilbo didn’t know the details, but because Smaug had stolen the Arkenstone from Thorin’s grandfather the man probably did get some sort of satisfaction from stealing something, even something small and worthless from his enemy in return.

“This has nothing to do with him!” Thorin suddenly released Bilbo’s left wrist just to bang his own fist on the table.

“Then what is it?!” Bilbo gathered enough courage to look into Thorin’s eyes and though he spoke softer, his voice still had a strong, pleading tone. He surely wasn’t in a position to question Thorin’s actions, especially not when he was pinned down by the man. But Bilbo was confused; he was tired of living with the questions, and a bit braver than he thought.

After a moment or two of staring at the man beneath him, Thorin let go of his right wrist as well but instead of getting up he slowly leaned even closer, his chest almost touching Bilbo’s. Bilbo didn’t dare move his hands from where they were.

“I’m not a monster.” the pirate said calmly this time, looking directly into Bilbo’s eyes.

“But are you a pirate?” Bilbo asked, his voice almost a whisper. When Thorin frowned questioningly, Bilbo carefully cleared his throat and continued:

“I mean, Bofur was a carpenter… Like, the others here, they were not born pirates. And you?”

Thorin’s expression seemed to grow even more confused. He moved his right hand to touch Bilbo’s cheek, almost tenderly. Bilbo flinched, even understanding that Thorin wasn’t going to hit him; it was an automatic reaction to avoid touches now.

“I’m not going to hurt you.” Thorin said softly and the soft tone made Bilbo blink in surprise. He couldn’t believe that the voice belonged to the same man who had just a minute ago pushed him onto the desk and shouted at him. Bilbo let him caress his cheek with his big rough fingers, but those fingers were gentle to him despite their appearance.

“You don’t know yet? Nobody told you?” he asked as he moved his fingers to Bilbo’s curly, honey-brown hair. The pirate couldn’t remember the last time he had – or if he had ever – touched something so soft or been so gentle while doing it.

“Umm, told me what?” Bilbo swallowed. Strange that even when he still was afraid of the pirate above him, his tender touches felt so nice on his skin; Bilbo hadn’t felt a nice touch in a long, long time…

“A MONSTER!”

The door flew open and Kili barged in. Thorin straighten his back in a second and poor Bilbo, who tried to get up just as fast, slipped and fell on the floor next to the captain’s feet.

“Kili! What the-“ Thorin growled but his nephew interrupted him.

“There’s a monster! I mean, I don’t know what it is but it’s huge and it’s heading this way!” Thorin finally realized how pale the boy looked.

“Tell everyone to come up to the deck, hurry!” Thorin commanded as he hurried out the cabin. Bilbo also scrambled to stand, but just as he got up, the ship suddenly started to sway, throwing him off balance again.

Whatever the monster was, it was already beneath them.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello guys! Me and my beta reader, the awesome acornsandoakleaves, have been very productive since here is the newest chapter! I hope this one isn't as boring as the one before it, there's a bit more action this time. Thank you all for your absolutely lovely comments, kudos and bookmarks and of course thank you all for reading this story! It's not gonna end any time soon so I hope you will stick to an end! 
> 
> And like mentioned before, beta reading in this chapter too is by acornsandoakleaves!


	12. Battle cries and Black blood

When  Gloin spotted a dark, fast-moving figure in front of them he  woke Kili up  so he could tell him what it was; the boy had the best eyesight among them. Kili couldn’t really  get a good look of the creature before it dove under the waves and disappeared.  But whatever it was, it surely didn’t seem to be friendly. 

Right now, the monster was rocking their ship, an enormous dark shadow moving beneath them. 

“Dori! Ori! Any information about sea creatures big as this?!” Dwalin inquired as the brothers got on the deck with the rest of the crew. Bilbo came too, not wanting to be alone in Thorin’s cabin if something happened. 

“Could be a whale, but they’re not usually this aggressive.” Dori shook his head and Kili confirmed that the silhouette of the monster certainly couldn’t belong to any whale. 

“It’s like… like it has tentacles of some sort. Three massive tentacles.” Ori looked over the rail but before his brother had a chance, Dwalin had already pulled the youngest pirate away from the edge.

“Carefully! If the boat starts to sway faster you’ll fall!” the bald pirate warned the kid who did seem to be more reckless than he first looked. 

“There are stories of huge sea snakes but they don’t have tentacles.” Ori tried to remember and Bofur nodded; he had also heard those stories. Bilbo didn’t feel himself brave enough to go and take a peek over the rail, he trusted Ori’s word. He also remembered one book that had a sea snake in it, but the creature was described to be like a giant snake that lived under the water, there were no tentacles attached to its body-

Oh but, Bilbo suddenly remembered another story, a story he had heard a long,  long time ago  but that he remembered like yesterday.

“What if they’re not tentacles but… heads?”

Everyone turned to look at him, like he wasn’t supposed to be on the deck or at least they didn’t expect him to speak. And at the same moment, the rocking stopped and the whole sea stilled.

“Did it go away?” Fili was first to speak but Balin shook his head.

“It must be close, prowling.”

“There is no time to waste! Everyone, take your weapons and position. Ori, take Bilbo downstairs with you and-“

The rest of Thorin’s commands drowned under the wave that suddenly washed over the deck when something rose from the water on their right side. Everyone  was rubbing the salty seawater out of their eyes  and when they were able to see again,  they could not  believe their eyes.

In front of, or more accurately _above_ them, was a huge, giant-sized snake with three pointed heads. 

The creature wasted no time  in planting  one of its head on the deck; the lengths of the necks’ were easily as long as  the  tallest mast. Two other heads kept hovering over the ship,  as if preparing to watch  the show. 

When the head on the deck opened its mouth and revealed a row of sharp teeth and a long tongue, Bilbo was sure that this was it. He apparently could survive from pirates but there was no way that he or anyone else on that ship could survive from an attack of triple-headed giant snake! Even if they somehow did, the creature would sink the ship and they all would freeze to death or be eaten by sharks. 

But Thorin’s crew showed no fear in front of the beast. They immediately started to stab the head  and neck with their swords and axes. Ori looked around the deck, almost panicking until he spotted Bilbo about 50 feet away from him, leaning against the door of Thorin’s cabin and staring at the battle in front of him. 

“Bilbo!” he called and started to rush towards him. He really would have liked to fight with his brothers and the other crewmembers, but the captain had given him an order to keep Bilbo safe and Ori wasn’t going to ignore that command. While running to Bilbo, he couldn’t help but let his worried eyes wander back to look at the battlefield. For a moment it seemed like nothing could hurt the monster; it had thick skin and the swords weren’t doing much damage to it. It almost looked like the snake was trying to tire them, waiting patiently until they were all exhausted and then it could eat them in peace. Its plans changed when Dwalin’s axe penetrated through its skin, just above the right eye. 

“Yes! Go Dwalin!” Ori cheered as he reached Bilbo’s side, smiling admiringly at the bravest and strongest man he knew. Bilbo understood that the boy was happy for his hero, but he still thought that it was too early for that. And this time his pessimistic side was right; the snake grew very angry when it was suddenly stabbed hard, black blood covering its other eye. It started to shriek terribly and shake his head furiously. The other two heads were also screaming and looked like they were ready to avenge the third one’s injury. But when the second head was coming down to help, it got a nasty surprise: Kili had predicted its movement; he climbed up the mizzenmast and shot an arrow in its eye, destroying it completely. 

“Wanna lose the other one, too?” Kili smirked when the head started to scream even louder than before. But even when half blinded, the snake knew exactly where to look and it pointed its head towards Kili and attacked. The mast broke into pieces as the snake’s muzzle met the wood and Kili went flying in the air. When he was about to hit the deck, his brother caught him just in time. 

“You idiot!” Dori shouted at the young man, “Snakes use their tongues to smell and see, the eyes are not that important!”

“We must cut the necks! Dwalin, Oin, Bofur and Balin, you take the one we already stabbed! Bifur, Fili, Dori and Kili, you take the one-eyed one! Everyone else come with me and take the third one out!” Thorin quickly divided them into three groups and the real battle started. Ori and Bilbo knew that they weren’t to take part in this show and Ori quickly led Bilbo downstairs, just a few steps from the top of the stairs so that they could at least have a little look at what was happening. 

“Don’t worry Bilbo, everyone here is stronger than any heroes you’ll read about in a book; that snake will go down in minutes!” Ori told him, smiling reassuringly. 

“Y-you sound so sure.” Bilbo managed to say though his throat felt too dry to speak. 

The show on the deck was  truly one to be seen: Dwalin, Bifur and Thorin were clearly the captains of their teams and although everything was happening so fast , their movements looked  almost organized and planned to Bilbo. The snake and its three heads were struggling with the pirates and  every time one of the heads was stabbed the other two screamed with it. But it started to look  like the middle head was the strongest one and that was the head that Thorin, Gloin, Nori , and Bombur were fighting against. 

The middle one was also the cleverest one. Instead of just swinging its head from side to side, desperately trying to hit its attackers like the other two were doing, it used its forked tongue like a two-pointed sword, trying to throw the pirates out of balance. And it succeeded; the tongue shoved Bombur against the rail and the big man almost flew through it. Unfortunately, it was Bombur’s head that took the worst of the hit and he lost consciousness and didn’t get up again. 

“Brother!” Bofur shouted and struggled to keep his attention on his team’s share of the creature; he wanted to run and see if his brother was alright. 

The middle head seemed to think that the weakened Bombur would make a nice snack in  the  middle of the fight and  lunged  towards the cook with its enormous mouth wide open. Nori got between his friend and the snake just in time, stabbing painfully  into  its muzzle. But his sword got stuck in the flesh and as the snake started to scream and wave its  head; Nori , who hadn’t even had time to let go of his weapon, was sent flying  across the deck. He ended up landing on Dwalin who was just about to give the final stab to their snake-head.

“Nori!” Dori and Ori shouted in unison as their brother was in the air but only Ori shouted Dwalin’s name when he fell to the floor with Nori. The head that they had almost defeated regained its fervor when it saw its strongest opponent knocked onto the floor. Oin, Balin and Bofur had a hard time keeping its attention on themselves while Dwalin tried to untangle himself from Nori. The head started to copy the middle one and pushed its tongue out and wrapped it around Bofur’s waist. It lifted the pirate up in the air, ready to pull him inside its mouth at any moment. 

Bombur, who was  finally  able stand again, got up just in time to see his brother struggling with the creature. Head still feeling dizzy and not remembering to keep his  fighting position  with Thorin and Gloin he rushed to his brother’s aid, swung his axe and threw it towards the head. He had meant to cut the tongue in two, but the axe buried itself near the snake’s nostrils. The pain caused it to scream again and inadvertently  drop Bofur who fell on to the hard wooden deck, breaking his left arm in the progress. 

Bifur’s  concentration was torn between his team’s  share of the  beast and his cousins’ wellbeing. Fili noticed  it and when he saw  that Bombur didn’t have his axe anymore , he pulled  a sharp dagger from his shoe and threw it across the deck to  the cook.

“Bombur! Catch!” he yelled to him but the second he looked away almost cost him a lot. The head would have crushed him against the main mast if Kili hadn’t jumped on its muzzle, stabbing the snake with his sharp arrow. The snake tried to throw him off and while it was madly shaking its head it accidentally managed to hit Dori causing him to fly across the deck and knocking him unconscious when he landed near Oin, Balin, Dwalin, Nori, Bombur, and Bofur. Nori had just managed to get up with Dwalin but when he saw his older brother’s unconscious form on the deck next to him he did his best to protect him from the snake’s attacks.

“Oh no, they don’t have enough time for that!” Ori shook his head, not feeling very positive about the situation anymore. He knew that his brother needed to help the injured Bofur and Bombur, and the older men Balin and Oin needed to fight alongside Dwalin. He disappeared inside the ship for a short moment and returned with an axe.

“Bilbo, I have to go! You stay right here where Thorin told us.” he quickly explained before rushing up on the deck to his brothers. Nori wasn’t happy that the situation had gone so far that they needed Ori to join them, but when he saw his little brother with the axe, he nodded leaving Dori to his protection. 

Bilbo’s eyes wandered from Dwalin’s team to Bifur’s, who were forced to back down  near the other team. Soon those two teams blended together in the back of the ship, fighting together against the two heads. From them Bilbo quickly  looked to Thorin’s team where only the captain and Gloin were left at the front of the ship. Surprisingly, it seemed that they  had the upper hand; there were several bleeding wounds on the snake’s neck and muzzle, but it still had a strong fighting spirit. 

The snake opened its mouth to scream, to  intimidate the two pirates. Thorin tried to use this moment to stab the tender skin of its palate, but the snake closed its mouth as the tip of the sword was inside. To prevent  being flung across the deck like Nori, Thorin let go of the sword and the monster  spit it near the staircase where Bilbo was hiding. Thorin was now unarmed and alone with Gloin. The snake seemed to be sure of its victory now and Bilbo could swear it  _smirked_ . Gloin seemed to notice the same and blinded by anger, he ran towards the beast, ready to stab it  in  the neck. Bilbo couldn’t help but  recall the words that Thorin had said to the red bearded pirate during their training session: enough force, but predictable. The snake easily dodged the attack and with a swift  swing of its neck it hit Gloin straight  in his stomach, making the man slide  across the  deck. He hit his head hard in the exact spot where Bombur had hit his head, but this time the wood  gave and Gloin fell into the sea. 

As Gloin was still gliding across the deck, Bilbo  realized that Thorin had very little  chance of winning against the beast all alone and without his sword. The others were too far away and probably  didn’t even notice Thorin’s  predicament while focusing on their own fighting. Bilbo looked at the sword next to the stairs and Thorin. If he could just throw the sword  to Thorin he would have a slight ly better chance  of winning . Not even a second after Gloin had fell in the water, Bilbo was out of his hid ing place and ready to lift the sword.

But…

The sword was unbelievable heavy. It took all of Bilbo’s strength just to lift it up; there  was no chance that he could throw it to the captain. But he had to tr y; he just needed to get closer. 

Thorin didn’t know what to do. He was face to face with the snake. The deck was slippery from the water and blood so dodging the attacks was going to be hard. Earlier, when fighting  beside Gloin, the snake had managed to  painfully  scratch his  leg with its tooth; the pain wasn’t the worst he had ever felt, but it still slowed him down. He could try to  edge closer to the rail and jump in the water,  but  that would  only buy him  a  few seconds more to think  about  what to do. But before he had time to carry out his plan, he heard the most unexpected voice calling his name.

“Thorin!” Bilbo tried to get his attention. He was standing near the place where Gloin had fallen, next to the railing with Thorin’s sword. The snake also sensed the new victim on deck and seemed to understand that the unarmed pirate captain wouldn’t do him any harm, but the new young man with the sword could be a threat. Not wanting to completely turn its attention away from Thorin, the beast formed a new plan. A sly smile replaced its grin and Thorin couldn’t tell why the creature hadn’t attacked Bilbo the second it saw him. But then, slowly and quietly, the snake’s tail rose from the water behind Bilbo and Thorin’s eyes went wide.

“Look out!” 

Bilbo had time to turn around, only to see the snake’s tail rush towards him. Bilbo couldn’t run away, the tail was around him in a second, pinning his arms against his sides and he could feel the thick and powerful tail squeezing his chest hard, trying to cut off his breathing. He let go of the sword, the strength gone from his hands. But the same moment the sword dropped to the deck Thorin caught it. And right when he got his weapon back, Thorin swung it and sliced the tail in two. 

Bilbo was freed from the strangling hold  as the beast started to scream, the black blood painting the whole deck. It seemed that the tail was the weakest part of its body and that’s why it hadn’t used it before  now , not  until it was sure  of its victory. But now when it was screaming in agony and pain, Thorin got to carry out his first plan to stab the snake in its palate and the sword went easily through its head. When he pulled the weapon out, the thick black blood started to spray from the hole of the snake’s head, raining on the ship. Thorin covered Bilbo’s smaller form with his body, his wide back and shoulders sheltering the younger man who still struggled to breathe. The rain of black blood hadn’t even stopped when the beast let out a  long, miserable cry before the middle head died. The other two heads seemed to share its pain, as well as they had felt the terrible pain when  they lost the tip of their shared tail, and so the two remaining heads dove back  in to the sea, pulling the dead one under the waves with them. For a while there was a black line  in the water when the monster swam away, soon disappearing completely  from sight . 

“We… we won?” Bofur swallowed and, like everyone else, he also had a hard time believing that they had just beaten a massive, triple-headed monster. 

“Thorin!” Dwalin suddenly shouted when he saw their captain covered in the black blood. Everyone hurried to their captain’s side, all except Nori and Ori who stayed to help poor Gloin up onto the deck again. After their wet and angry friend was on board with them, the brothers helped their dizzy older brother walk across the deck to their captain where everyone else had already gathered.

The relief was clear  on their faces when they realized that their captain and Bilbo were not  seriously harmed. There  was one big, bleeding wound on Thorin’s right leg but it was hard to see under the monster’s dark blood. Bilbo seemed to be relatively okay, though breathing seemed to cause him some pain and he would surely bruise badly from the places where the snake’s tail had strangled him. But they were aliv e; they  were all safe .

“Woo-hoo! To our captain, Thorin Durin the fearless!” Kili raised his fist in the air, winching only a little when the movement reminded him of his twisted wrist. The crew started to cheer and clap when it begin to finally sink in that they had won, all thanks to their captain who had given the final, deadly strike to the beast. Thorin acted like he couldn’t even hear the cheering sounds around him and Bilbo; he was still looming over the shorter man, eyes pinned on him. 

“But… How the hell did you get your sword back?” Gloin asked, clearly remembering how the monster had tossed the sword away, too far to be snatched back quickly. 

Slowly everyone’s attention turned to Bilbo. What the hell  was the landlubber doing on  deck with them, on the battlefield? 

“You… you needed… the sword.” Bilbo was whispering, talking hurt much more than breathing; he had probably broken a few ribs in the monster’s hold. Thorin’s eyes remained on him as he stood up, Bilbo quickly following suit. For a moment it was all quiet and nobody dared to break the silence. Thorin wasn’t looking at Bilbo anymore, he had dropped his gaze to the floor. But even when Thorin was looking directly at him, Bilbo couldn’t read the emotion on his face; he had been too dizzy. Now though, standing with shaky feet in front of the pirate and the crew surrounding them, he saw how there was something red mixing with the black blood on Thorins leg, his trousers torn in that place. 

“Umm, your leg… You are-“ he started and took a step closer. But when he did, it came as a surprise for all the men on deck when Thorin suddenly pushed Bilbo away, Kili barely catching the man before he landed back on the floor. 

“YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO STAY DOWNSTAIRS!” the captain yelled, fingers curling into fists. 

“I… I just-“ Bilbo gulped, the movement hurting his lungs.

“If you want to live, stay away from the battles!”

“But… But I-“

“You nearly got yourself killed!”

“But-“

“Nobody here disobeys my commands, no one!”

“Thorin, your leg needs to be taken care of.” Balin jumped in to save Bilbo from any more shouting, the older man placing a hand gently but determinedly on his captain’s shoulder. Thorin shrugged the hand away, but kept his mouth shut. 

“Okay, it’s going to be a long afternoon and evening ahead of us,” Oin clapped his hands together, “I’ll treat the captain’s leg first before he bleeds dry. Then everyone who hit their heads or broken something may come next.”

Balin helped Thorin follow the doctor downstairs. Others tried to find a clean, not bloody spot on the deck to sit down and rest their arms and legs. Bilbo, however, was too shocked to do anything else but stare at the pool of the monster’s blood at his feet. Then he let out a long, shaky breath and flinched at the sharp pain in his sides again.

“Broken a rib or two, huh? Don’t worry, it has happened to me too; they’ll heal on their own.”

Bilbo only now remembered that he was still leaning  against Kili’s chest, the boy’s hands under his armpits holding him up. Bilbo lifted his head to look at the young pirate who grinned at him fondly.

“He shouted at me that time too.”

“I’m- I’m sorry!” Bilbo stepped away from Kili who shrugged. The pirate reached to pat Bilbo gently on the shoulder before walking over to his brother, making sure that he was alright. Everyone had been, at the very least, bruised very badly, but even after such a dangerous fight they seemed to be relaxed already, acting like this was something ordinary even though none of them had ever seen a real sea monster before. Bilbo backed against the rail, sat down and sighed; he really couldn’t do a damn thing right, now could he?

 

 

\--------------------

 

 

It was already very late  in the  evening when everyone had had their medical treatment. There were , for example , broken arms, twisted ankles and wrists, lots of bruises , and almost everyone had a concussion. Bilbo hadn’t been the last one that had his wounds treated, but Oin had wanted to see him again after he had sent the last patient, Fili out of his office. 

“Are the painkillers working?” 

“The herbs? Yeah, definitely.” Bilbo nodded to the doctor’s question. Thanks to Oin’s secret medicine, the pain on Bilbo’s ribs was only a dull ache now. Sleeping would be agony, however.

“Good. I wanted to make sure you’re still fine, your body isn’t used to this. Battles I mean.”

“Yeah…”

Oin asked few more questions, checked Bilbo’s bruis ed arms and chest once again until he was satisfied. Between  a  few patients, he had taken some time to go through his own,  thankfully minor wounds so it seemed like  now  he  could rest and call it a day. Then he slammed his hand on his forehead and sighed.

Great, he had almost forgotten; he still had to change Thorin’s bandages again. He was about to collect everything he needed and go to the captain’s cabin but then his old eyes fell  to Bilbo again. The young man was lost in his thoughts, eyes  focused  on his lap and looking absolutely miserable. Well, there were some hurt s that even the doctor couldn’t make better. Or maybe…

“What do you know about cleaning and bandaging wounds?” Oin asked and Bilbo’s head snapped up, surprised.

“Umm, basic stuff I guess?”

“Good, basic is enough here. Take these with you and remember to gently rub some of these leaves on his wound before adding the clear bandage. Fetch a bucket of water to wash the wound first, though. ” the doctor shoved clean bandages and herbs in Bilbo’s arms. 

“Um, I- Whose wound am I supposed to treat?” Bilbo hesitated but Oin was already pushing him away from his room.

“You know where the captain’s room is, right?” Oin smiled before shutting the door, leaving the poor man standing alone in the corridor, pale and confused. 

 

_*Knock knock*_

 

“Enter,” Thorin grunted behind his desk. He couldn’t get any rest because his right leg was aching and so he busied himself by reading his grandfather’s old logbooks, trying to find any mention of strange, huge sea creatures. 

Thorin thought it was Oin or Balin at the door, but the one who came in was the last person he expected to see standing there.

Bilbo.

“I… Oin told me to… Umm, I know the basics.” Bilbo stuttered, fearing that Thorin would start to shout at him again. 

Thorin stared at him for a few seconds  before  telling the man to close the door. Bilbo hesitantly did and with shaky legs he walked over to Thorin. He placed the bucket of water  near Thorin’s feet and kneeled. The pirate had ripped  away  his trousers’ leg under the  knee so that treating the wound would be easier. Bilbo looked up, silently asking for a permission to remove the bandage. Thorin nodded and so Bilbo started to work. 

Neither of them talked. At first Bilbo thought that it was a good thing; better to have  a  silent Thorin than  a yelling Thorin. But when Bilbo had removed the bandage and seen the rough stitches and dried blood, angry red skin around the wound, the  quiet and silence became too much for him.

“I’m sorry. I… I just wanted to help.” he whispered, his voice too shaky to speak louder. Thorin didn’t say anything, not yet. When Bilbo placed a leaf, a painkilling herb, on the wound, Thorin opened his mouth.

“Did Oin already do the second check-up to you?”

“Huh? Yeah, he did.” Bilbo nodded; surprised that Thorin would ask such a thing. Then he understood that it was probably the captain himself who had told the doctor to make sure that Bilbo was truly doing fine.

“I’m alright.” he confirmed. 

“ _Was he really worried about me?”_ Bilbo thought, not knowing how he should react to that. It was so hard to understand Thorin; at first he despise d him, then he wanted him to become his, then he got mad, then pet his hair, saved him from a monster, got mad again and is now worried about him. Bilbo really doesn’t know what to think of him. But when it was time to wrap the new bandage around Thorin’s leg, Bilbo decided to figure out what he really felt about this pirate captain later. When the job was done, Bilbo hurried to stand up but the sight of Thorin’s wound had made him feel a bit nauseous and so when he got on his feet, he swayed a little. He wouldn’t have fallen, but Thorin still hurried to steady him, holding him gently by his arms; he remembered the bruises. Bilbo blinked his eyes until he focused on Thorin again, still sitting on his chair in front of Bilbo, hands on his arms, blue eyes looking at him for the first time with something like worry. Bilbo carefully stepped away, letting Thorin’s hands slide away from him. 

“About earlier… I’m sorry, you were right.” Bilbo swallowed, his voice almost steady.

“Earlier?” Thorin raised an eyebrow, confused.

“You aren’t a monster.” Bilbo said before lifting the water bucket that now also contained the old bandages and then he walked out of the room. Surprisingly, sleeping wasn’t such an agony that night after all. 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Oh there are so many things that I would like to thank you all about, but I have pretty high fever right now (slowly but surely getting better, no worries!) and it's hard to think clearly :'D But big thanks to you all for your lovely comments (i'll try answer them all tomorrow if I feel better), kudos, bookmarks and for reading this story, you guys are amazing readers! And let's give a big hand for my awesome beta reader acornsandoakleaves! This story wouldn't make sense for you guys without her corrections :-)
> 
> Merry Christmas for you all and let's meet again as soon as possible!


	13. Empty space and pile of maps

“You know, I would so much rather have a broken leg than an arm; now I can’t craft to pass the time- Oh wait, brother! That’s probably not the salt!”

“Huh? Right right…”

“Well, I guess having a concussion isn’t any better.”

It was the day after the snake’s attack. Bofur was in the kitchen with his brother, both freed from the nasty job of washing the monster’s blood from the deck. Bofur’s left arm was covered in bandages as he had broken it during the fight and Bombur was still recovering from his concussion. The ex-carpenter was in the kitchen making sure that his bigger brother was still able to cook properly.

“We need to restock, sooner better than later.” Bombur muttered when he went through the shelves, shaking his head.

“If the rumors are true, Balin has managed to convince Thorin to sail to the west to repair the ship; we need to repair the mizzenmast, it was destroyed completely.”

“There’s land in the west?”

“So Dori says.”

As the brothers were speaking, Fili entered the kitchen. He was wearing only a pair of his old trousers, the garment and his bare upper-body covered in black blood. As he was one of the least wounded ones, he and his brother and a few others were doing the dirty work of cleaning the deck.

“What, Balin convinced uncle to turn the ship towards land? I thought Thorin wouldn’t bother to do that just for a mast.” the blonde young man raised his eyebrows, as he wondered around the room trying to find something to snack on. The hard biscuits he found weren’t the best tasting but they hardly had anything else.

“Well, something decent to eat would be nice, though… But knowing my uncle, he wouldn’t care if he needed to eat this crap for the rest of his life if it meant finding the Arkenstone sooner…”

“From what I’ve heard, we aren’t that far away from the shore. It will take about a week if the weather stays fine.” Bofur tried to remember what Dori had told him earlier this morning.

“Lad, don’t come to the kitchen looking and smelling like that! You’ll give us all food poisoning!” Bombur sighed when he finally noticed Fili’s blood-stained form.

“Come on! Me and Kili have drudged the whole day! Be glad that I didn’t send him to snag us something; he’s covered in this vile mess from head to toe! “

“Then take these with you and don’t dare come again until you are both as clean as little white doves!” Bofur laughed and gave the younger pirate a small bag of biscuits and a wineskin containing water. Fili grinned and hurried back onto the deck, throwing the biscuit bag at the back of his brother’s head.

“Fuck you, Fili! Are you trying to stone me to death?!” the younger brother turned around with a grin.

“That’s to be our snack, brother dear. Bofur was kind enough to give us some water to savor them with.”

“Ooh, the luxury!” Kili swiped the sweat off his forehead and sat down to eat with his older brother.

“You know, the guys were talking about stopping on some island to restock and repair the good old Oakenshield.” Fili wasted no time in spreading the gossip.

“Bofur said that Balin had convinced Thorin to do it, but I think that-“

“That it was actually someone much smaller and cuter than Balin, right?” Kili grinned and Fili chuckled.

“I did see him going in uncle’s cabin pretty late last night, though he came out pretty soon, wasn’t even in there for a half an hour.”

“Oh, then they probably didn’t do anything. I mean, remember that one time when mother had just left us and made him swear to ‘ _take good care of us or else blah blah’_? He was so frustrated that when we went to that tavern he actually picked up that waitress’ offer to go upstairs with her? They were there for quite a long time, remember? I’m pretty sure that uncle prefers it slow and nice instead of just doing it fast and hard and-“

“Yuck, Kili! Don’t you have anything else to think but our uncle’s sex habits?” Fili was about to choke on the stone hard biscuit he was trying to munch.

“If you two don’t have anything better to discuss, you might as well get back to work!” Gloin growled from above them. He was also on cleaning and watch duty.

“Didn’t you drown yesterday or something?” Kili asked and squinted up at him.

“Very funny. Now get back to work! I need to go and make sure that my brother has remembered to take care of his own wounds instead of just worrying about everyone else.” the pirate slapped the teen’s head on his way downstairs.

“Still can’t take a joke…” Kili sighed.

“Kids these days… I’ll make sure that my Gimli won’t grow up to be a loafer like those two.” Gloin muttered, feeling a little sting in his chest when he thought of his son who was actually almost a young man by now. Well, hopefully his mother was making sure that the boy acted like a responsible human being.

“Oin, you feeling okay?” he said as he opened the doctor’s door. The half-deaf man didn’t hear him come in, but his bad hearing wasn’t the only reason for that. Nori was also there, seeking relief for his sprained ankle and wounded shoulder.

“Gloin, thank god! Please tell this old oaf to just saw my leg off! Couldn’t sleep at all last night!” Nori complained and finally the doctor noticed his brother in the doorway.

“It’s not even broken, you’ve had much worse so shut your mouth.” Oin rolled his eyes.

“Ori hurt his ankle too and he hasn’t complained even once,” he continued, causing Nori to roll his eyes.

“Well, Dori is pampering him, he has nothing to complain…”

“I don’t understand why we’re letting kids come on board in the first place.” Gloin snarled while looking for a chair to sit down.

“I couldn’t just leave my brother alone.” Nori narrowed his eyes, speaking a bit lower.

“He wouldn’t have been alone; my family and lady Dis would have taken good care of him.” Gloin argued back.

“You could have taken your son with us too. I bet that the captain would have allowed it. Isn’t Gloin-junior just one year younger than Ori?” Nori reminded him and that caused Gloin’s eyes to flash in anger.

“I’m not selfish enough to put my family in danger just to keep us together!”

“You think that I like him risking his life?!” Nori stood up, having completely forgotten the pain on his ankle.

“Calm down, you two!” Oin silenced them and leaned over his desk to give a little pouch of herbs to Nori. Like the food supplies, they were also starting to run out of medicine. Nori grabbed the pouch and slammed the door shut after him. He limped in the dark hallway, lost in his thoughts and he soon found himself near the library. He pondered next to its door for a minute, then opened the pouch and stuffed about a quarter of its contents inside his pocket. Then he opened the door.

“Nori! What are you doing in here?” Ori raised his head from his notes.

“Brought you something to ease the pain of your injuries.” the older brother winked and threw the pouch to the youngest Ri-family member.

“Don’t you need them more? I mean, you got it worse than me…” Ori carefully asked but Nori just shook his head.

“Nah, I’m a pretty tough guy, you know.” he winked and after he wished his brother good luck in writing down yesterday’s events he left the library.

“Nori sure is pretty cool.” Ori smiled and put the pouch aside; he should share the medicine with Dori who had been complaining about a headache that morning.

Ori went back to work, trying to illustrate the sea snake. He tried to add as many details as he could, just in case someone might need the information someday. His work was interrupted again when a tall, board figure appeared in front of him.

“Think you could make a tattoo of that?”

Ori snapped his head up to look at Dwalin. He smiled widely at the older pirate and started to rummage through the piles of papers on his desk.

“I kind of predicted that, so I already made a sketch this morning, here.” He gave Dwalin a piece of paper and the bald man let out a small, almost hearty laugh when he looked at the drawing. There was the snake, its middle head being pierced by Thorin’s sword.

“Perfect. When you’re finished with that,” Dwalin’s hand gestured towards the logbook, “you can trace this on me.”

“I just need to detail it more.” Ori nodded and took the sketch back.

“Where do you want to have it?”

Dwalin didn’t care to answer right away. He just took off his shirt and pointed at the place near his hipbones.

“Got some empty space here.”

Ori walked around the table and bent his knees to stare at the bare spot on the other pirate’s skin. He let his fingers trace over the spot, then shook his head.

“Too small. The snake was pretty long, all the details would get lost if I paint it here- but oh! If we just continue it below the waistline then I can made it longer.” Ori smiled at his own idea and was just about to tug Dwalin’s pants just a few centimeters towards the south when the older man gently but quickly grabbed his wrist.

“We’ll do that then.” he forced a tiny smile on his lips when Ori looked at him, confused.

“Well, yeah. I’ll let you know when I’ve finished everything here.” Ori nodded and went back to his work. Before diving back into the world of ink and papers, he looked up to glance at Dwalin’s face.

“Mister Dwalin? Are you alright?”

Oh damn. He had once again got lost in his thoughts and was probably looking at the younger one with some weird expression.

“Completely. See ya, kid.” he said and left before he could accidentally reveal his thoughts. How many years had this continued? Far too many and even though the kid kept getting taller he was never going to be old enough for Dwalin to confess anything to him. And even if he would someday be old enough for him, he would never be an adult in his brothers’ eyes.

And speaking of the brothers, the oldest one was walking towards him with pile of maps in his hands, on his way to the deck.

Dori politely nodded a greeting to Dwalin before walking past him. The oldest of the Ri-brothers had never really formed a clear opinion of the strong fighter, but would trust his own and his brother’s lives in his hands if needed. Though Dwalin didn’t need to know that.

Once on the deck, Dori hurried to the captain’s cabin where Balin and Thorin were already waiting for him.

“Good afternoon, Sirs.” he greeted them and laid the maps on the table. The three men observed them for a while until they were all satisfied and agreed with each other.

“It will take about two weeks to get to that port, but at least we only have to deviate from the course a little.” Dori said.

“Five days there will be enough, right Thorin?” Balin asked and the captain nodded, seemingly a little disappointed that they needed to deviate from the course at all. But continuing with only this much food and water and with a broken mast would come to cost them a lot in the future and so he had agreed.

“Three days, that will be enough.” Thorin stated and walked to the other side of the room at the doorframe, gazing outside.

“What did you say that made him even consider this?” Dori leaned closer to Balin and whispered.

“Just told him the facts and that someone on this vessel probably missed feeling solid land under his feet.” Balin winked but Dori didn’t catch his drift.

“What do you mean?”

Instead of answering with words, Balin jerked his head in Thorin’s direction, looking past him until he found the small man in the red coat sitting on the deck with his back leaning against the railing, busying himself by fixing the clothes that were torn yesterday. Bifur was standing next to him, trying on the jacket that Bilbo had fixed and also made to fit better. Thorin’s eyes were on them, tired but somehow relaxed. He let out a small sigh when Bifur lifted his thumb up to show his approval to the repaired jacket and Bilbo nervously tried to smile back.

“Something tells me that this is going to cause us some problems.” Dori shook his head, but couldn’t hide the relieved tone from his words.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry guys that it took me this long to update this story again! My beta reader finished with this chapter ages ago, but I was so busy that I didn't have any time to update it here right away and then this kinda slipped from my mind and so.... And I'm also sorry that I haven't had any time to answer your lovely comments! I've read every single one of them and appreciate them very much and I try to answer to you soon if you had any questions :--) But after all the apologizing it's time to thank you all again for reading my story, commenting it and giving kudos and adding bookmarks! And let's all give a big thanks to my beta reader existentialnerdcrisis (former acornsandoakleaves)! Without her help I bet that many of you wouldn't have stayed with this story for too long.


	14. The Smoke and The Lust

Everyone had been acting a little bit peculiar lately. If Bilbo asked why, they just told him to go and have a chat with the captain. And even though Bilbo knew that Thorin – probably - wasn’t going to eat him alive, he still didn’t really know how to approach him. They hadn’t exchange a word since the evening when the giant snake had attacked and that was three days ago. Even though Thorin had been calm that evening, Bilbo was afraid that the pirate was still mad at him. Besides, the way that everyone was looking at him, shaking their heads with a smile or sighing happily wasn’t actually encouraging him to go and ask for anything from Thorin! Who knew why they were smirking…

Bilbo thought that he had managed to avoid the captain for these couple of days, but in reality he had just been completely unaware of him watching him. If Thorin wasn’t watching him from the shadows, he had made sure to always have someone report Bilbo’s every move and current location to him. He had ordered Oin to give Bilbo a few extra check-ups and had the doctor tell him later every detail of how the younger man’s body was healing. The captain would have liked to see the wounds himself very badly, but his presence was obviously making Bilbo more nervous than he already was. 

But Bilbo seemed to be so relaxed around everyone else. Sometimes, caught in a merry moment, he would even loudly talk back to some of the men. He didn’t seem to be bothered when Kili whined for him to read some of the storybooks aloud since his own reading was terribly slow and Bilbo didn’t even flinch when a drunken Nori had suddenly leaned on him, searching for support when his legs couldn’t support him anymore.  But Dwalin had also told his captain how Bilbo would go silent or look away whenever someone mentioned Thorin in any way. 

Thorin wasn’t exactly known from his patience, but he could wait. He knew that building trust required time and work, after all he had needed to convince almost every single man on his crew about the meaning of his journey. Now he just needed to convince Bilbo that he really was different from Smaug the Terrible and that he could be trusted. If Bilbo needed time to see that, Thorin would give it to him. 

“You know, the key is talking to him.”

“Huh?” 

Thorin and Dwalin were on the deck, at the prow cleaning and sharpening their swords. Usually they performed this duty in silence or while throwing out ideas as to where the map or the Arkenstone could be or something like that. Thorin had thought that today they wouldn’t waste words but Dwalin seemed to have other ideas.

“I mean, with the shorty. You sent Gloin to watch over him today, didn’t you?” Dwalin gave his friend a knowing look.

“He is free to come and talk to me if he needs anything.” Thorin answered, not taking his eyes of his weapon and its freshly sharpened tip.

“I meant that you should try to open up a conversation with him. It’s very unlikely that he would make the first move.”

“Your brother told you to speak to me, right?” 

“He thought that you were growing bored of listening to his nagging.” the bald pirate admitted. 

“I don’t need him, you, or anyone to tell me how to deal with my… problems.” Thorin couched the last word out and Dwalin raised an eyebrow at that.

“So he’s a  _ problem _ now?”

“A distraction, to put it better.” Thorin murmured but then raised his voice to correct any misunderstandings his words may have caused.

“That doesn’t mean that my attention will drift away from our mission. I just need to know that every member of the crew can trust me fully.” 

“So from a distraction, he has turned into a part of the crew? He’s not suitable for a pirate, Thorin.” Dwalin shook his head.

“We could say the same about Ori and Dori.” The captain narrowed his eyes at his best friend’s words, making the look on the bald man’s face turn troubled.

“They might not be the strongest fighters but you have said yourself that they’re very useful otherwise. But Bilbo… Do you really think that he should be here? It was a close-call with that snake, he couldn’t even lift the sword.”

Thorin grunted something unintelligible but it wasn’t like he hadn’t been thinking the same thing as Dwalin. When Bilbo had asked if Thorin was treating him as compensation, Thorin couldn’t outright deny it. Knowing that his men had managed to get into the slug’s chambers and take something away from him, right from under his nose did indeed bring him some satisfaction.  And Bilbo had turned out to be more interesting than he had first thought. Bilbo had transformed from a whore into something more meaningful in Thorin’s eyes, something that was worth all of his time and patience. 

“Nobody whishes you to hurt him, but… If it’s just lust, you could just have him and then let him go. It would be the best for you, for the mission and for him to do so.” Dwalin gave his advice, hoping that Thorin would at least think on his words. The whole crew had kind of grown a soft spot for their newest member, Bilbo’s innocence reminding them that there was still solid land out there, that they all had had a life before all of this endless sailing. 

“To quote my brother’s words, this is not Bilbo’s war. He has nothing to do with the Arkenstone.” The bald pirate finished his speech and gave one last look to his captain before walking off to test the sharpened edges of his axes, the remains of the broken mast working perfectly for that purpose. Thorin put his own sword away slicing the air with it couple of times. It wasn’t that heavy or difficult to handle. But it was plenty heavy and complicated for Bilbo, for a man who had never needed to fight for his life. A man like that wouldn’t have a place among the pirates.

_ “just have him and then let him go”   _ Dwalin’s words rang in his ears. Thorin let the words be repeated in his head until he had made up his mind. He let his eyes wander to the horizon before nodding to himself that the following night would most likely be calm and no one, not even a sea monster, could catch them by surprise if the waves kept rocking the ship so lazily. 

“You’re right, my friend. It’s not his war.”

 

 

 

\------------

 

 

_ “Now we are ready to head for the Horn, Way, ay, roll an' go! Our boots an' our clothes boys are all in the pawn, Timme rollickin' randy dandy O!” _

“We would like to eat now, if you please.”

“Oh Dori! Don’t be such a wet blanket!” 

“You can be a pirate and still have some manners, Nori!”

“I’m on my best behavior!”

Bilbo slowly gulped down the bitter, warm ale he was served before this circus had started in the kitchen. It all began when Dori, tired and moody, had walked into the kitchen and Bofur had started to sing old sailor songs to cheer him up. Being a bit drunk partly because of the ale and partly because of the happiness, the whiskered man had ended up dancing on the table, his brother, cousin, and Nori cheering him on. But Dori who had just wished to have some of the day’s leftovers after working hard under the deck all day wasn’t amused by their show. 

“This ship is full of lunatics! It’s only a matter of time before me, Balin, you, or Ori turn into a one too.” Dori muttered to Bilbo who had originally come to the kitchen to help Bombur with the dishes. 

“Oh! Well that was a nicely indirect way to call our captain a lunatic! You could be forced to walk the plank for that, Dori!” Bofur took a break from his singing to point that out but the older man didn’t seem to be intimidated, though the joke caused Nori and Bifur to burst into loud laughter. 

“Between this group and the food, it’s a wonder we haven’t already.” Bilbo sighed and looked at the disgusting liquid inside his cup and grimaced at it. Nobody heard his remark through the laughter, but if they had they would have all been surprised to hear him to crack his first joke. 

_ “Heave a pawl, oh, heave away, Way, ay, roll an' go! The anchor's on board an' the cable's all stored, Timme rollickin' randy dandy O!” _ , Bofur continued to sing and dance, his boots accidentally knocking over Dori’s cup onto his plate, the ale drowning  the already poor dinner under it. The accident made Nori laugh even harder, but it also caused Dori to throw his ruined meal towards Bofur’s face. The agile pirate dodged it, but the food ended up landing on Bombur’s head. Bifur tried to help his cousin by pouring his own drink over the cook’s hair to wash away the mess, only making it worse by doing so. 

_ “That’s it, I won’t be the one to clean up this mess.” _ Bilbo thought as he silently sneaked out of the room.  As he was climbing up the stairs to get on the deck, he could still hear clearly the laughter and singing echoing from the kitchen. 

It was nearly midnight, the sky was clear and full of stars. The sea was calm and the wind was brushing his cheeks gently. If Bilbo had dared, he would have called it almost perfect. He glanced up to the lookout point to see Kili there, eyes glued to the sleeping horizon. Everything was so peaceful that it was nearly unreal, especially after spending some time with Dori’s “lunatics”. 

Bilbo walked at the back of the ship and leaned against the railing. The sight of the pitch-black water beneath him made his heart beat just a little bit faster, but the calmness in the air didn’t allow him to be afraid of it. As he watched the ship slowly breaking the waves he thought about how many times his mother had watched a similar view. Did she find this calmly? Or exciting? Had this kind of soft wind playing in her hair made her happy? If it did, Bilbo could probably understand why. But then he remembered how this same sea had taken her away from him and his father, how this same wind had turned into a storm, lifted the waves and swallowed her. The sea was dangerous, ruthless and unfair. Yet the beauty of it made it impossible for him to hate it. How could something that had destroyed so much have so much life in it? Was it that life that summoned so many to risk their own lives by wanting to live beside these waves? 

Could he ever come to understand that?

Staring the waves was becoming so hypnotical that Bilbo forced himself to take his eyes away from them. He blinked a couple of times and when he turned around he wasn’t expecting to see anyone standing behind him. He hadn’t heard anyone approaching him. But to his surprise, Thorin was standing there, startling the shorter man. 

“I thought you were in the kitchen with Bombur.” the captain stated and Bilbo nodded.

“I was just a minute ago, but it got a bit… nosy,” he answered and Thorin’s nod told him that the older man understood what he meant. Not really knowing what else to do, Bilbo took a few steps away from the railing, preparing to leave his captain alone but Thorin’s words made him to stop.

“I actually wished to speak with you.”

“A-about what?” Bilbo gulped and made sure to avoid Thorin’s eyes, though the pirate didn’t sound angry or anything like that. 

“You must have heard that we will soon make a short stop to restock and repair the ship. When we do, you are free leave and do whatever you like.”

Bilbo’s eyes snapped up to stare at Thorin’s, but the captain was looking at the horizon with a stern face. Sure, Bilbo had heard that they were heading to west and towards solid land, but he hadn’t even planned to escape, much less thought that the pirates would just let him go. 

“You would… just like that… let me leave?” Bilbo stuttered out his question, lifting his right hand to rub his head;  this was real, wasn’t it? When Thorin nodded, Bilbo let out relieved sigh; soon he would be a free man again! He could walk on the shore again, he could go back to-   

Oh yeah, where would he go to?

“But… Where would I go?” he asked, slight panic wavering in his voice.

“Where ever you want.” Thorin said, his own voice a bit strained but Bilbo didn’t pay attention to his tone.

“But Dragon burned down the island I used to live on.”

“You can do housework, right? I’m sure someone will hire you and you can find another place to live.” Thorin reasoned, wondering why Bilbo was even worrying about such things. 

“I would be all alone.” Bilbo suddenly realized, for the first time really understanding that  _ everyone _ he used to know were dead now. 

“Don’t you have relatives or friends living somewhere?” Thorin sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Couldn’t the man understand that he would be free as a bird in about a week?

“I have no one. I could as well be dead now and no one would know to miss me.”

The weird, sad tone made Thorin look at the younger man next to him for the first time in a while. Bilbo wasn’t crying but his eyes were wide and scared, his body trembling slightly and his face was pale.

“Was your whole family killed when the snake’s men captured you?”

“My family was long gone before that..! But now I literally have nowhere to go.” Bilbo pressed his both hands against his skull, like that would prevent his thoughts and worries from going all over the place. Take a deep breath, put it together, his mind was telling him. This is all you have wanted ever since you got into this mess. 

You will be fine.

“It… It will be a whole new beginning for me. I can start all over again.” Bilbo sighed after taking a moment to calm himself down. He moved his hands from his head to the railing, clutched it tightly and closed his eyes.

“It will be great.” he breathed out slowly.

Thorin had no words to say to him. He hadn’t expected this kind of reaction from the other man. Actually, he had even hoped to see a smile on his lips for the first time ever. After all, he was setting the man free and had even offered him a safe way to get back to the shore. But the realization that his past life truly was all gone now must have hit the man hard. 

If anyone, Thorin knew what the lost felt like.

He patted his pockets until he found his pipe and tobacco. He filled the bowl and lightened it up. He drew once before offering the pipe to Bilbo.

“Do you smoke?”

Bilbo had already opened his eyes when he first smelled the smoke. Earlier he would have declined the offer without even thinking, since he wouldn’t have liked to receive anything from this pirate. But the smell was already doing wonders to his nerves and so he nodded almost instantly.

“Yes, please. Thank you.” He bowed a little when he took the pipe, carefully brining it close to his lips. When he puffed out he felt the relaxation spread through his body, making him shake a little more but in a good way this time. Oh god, how he had missed the feeling!

“Both my parents smoke. I took my father’s pipe when he passed away; he had some tobacco left for it too. I kind of started to smoke only because of the smell, the familiarity of it brought some comfort when… when it wasn’t easy.” Bilbo explained, not really knowing why he was telling this to Thorin. He gave the pipe back and thanked the man again. When Thorin closed his mouth around the button of it, he thought how silly it was to think that Bilbo’s lips had touched the same area just seconds ago.

“According to Oin, doing this will kill you young.” he said and after taking a short smoke he offered the pipe back to Bilbo who accepted the tool casually now.

“So will a life like this, and life will probably kill you sooner.” Bilbo cracked another joke for the evening and his point actually made Thorin smile a little. 

“I see you got some humor in you.” the captain acknowledged and that caused a really faint smile to appear on Bilbo’s lips that disappeared when he blew out a small smoke ring. Bilbo kept staring at the ring, but Thorin’s eyes were glued to the man himself. 

_ “If it’s just lust, you could just have him and then let him go.”  _ he let Dwalin’s words be repeated in his head again, for the thousandth time that day. 

_ “It would be the best for you, for the mission and for him to do so.” _

When Bilbo was about to give the pipe back to its owner, Thorin took a gentle hold of his fingers instead of the pipe. He took it as a positive sign when Bilbo didn’t tense or pull away. He untangled Bilbo’s fingers from around the tool and placed the pipe on the barrel behind his back.

_ “If it’s just lust, you could just have him.” _

Thorin’s hand moved from Bilbo’s palm to his shoulder, fingers playing lazily with the longest strands of his hair. The short man was still now; he didn’t even tremble anymore. His eyes were wide and looked straight at Thorin, a bit confused and maybe a bit terrified too. 

_ “If it’s just lust, just have him.” _

The captain’s other hand moved to feel the collar of Bilbo’s jacket, a thumb lightly caressing the man’s collarbone through his thin shirt. It would be so easy for him to pull the shorter man into a kiss and tear the annoying piece of red cloth off him. 

_ “If it’s just lust, just have him.” _

Bilbo didn’t know what Thorin was doing. The blue eyes were staring at him intently and the captain looked like he was weighing his options.  Blame the feeling in the air or the tobacco, but Bilbo really didn’t know to be afraid in that moment. But his heart was beating faster again, like when he had watched the cold, black sea. Both Thorin’s hands were now sliding down his body, stopping at his waist.

_ “If it’s just lust, just have him.” _

The first few buttons of Bilbo’s shirt were open, not revealing much of the skin but enough for it to feel tempting to Thorin. It wouldn’t take much force to tear the shirt open, send the buttons flying around the deck. Everything would be so easy now. 

_ “If it’s just lust, just have him.” _

_ “If it’s just lust” _

_ “ just lust” _

“Achoo..!”

Thorin’s trail of thought was interrupted when Bilbo’s body suddenly jerked and the man covered his face as he sneezed. 

“Umm… I’m sorry…” Bilbo said, feeling as if he had just somehow interrupted something. But Thorin had kind of already made his decision before the interruption. The intense blue in his eyes softened as he tugged Bilbo’s coat more securely around the small man.

“You’ll catch a cold, standing out here and only wearing this much…” he muttered and patted Bilbo’s arm couple of times. 

“Yeah, I should probably go back inside…” Bilbo nodded, but didn’t start to walk away. Partly because he should probably wait for the captain’s permission to do so, but mostly because he still had something to say to the man.

“I- umh, just… Thank you.” he stuttered out, then straightened his back before continuing.

“Thank you for taking me back to the shore. And for the tobacco too, of course. And for everything all together, I mean, for giving me these clothes and for feeding me and so… If- I mean, if we don’t count the sea monster and some… umm, pirate-thingies, I could think that I have been on a cruise instead of with… pirates. Thank you.” Bilbo bowed, hoping to receive permission to leave now. But for some reason, Thorin wasn’t saying anything. Bilbo lifted his head up to look at the captain who stood still before him. Thorin seemed to realize that he had been quiet for too long and opened his mouth to say something. But at the same moment, a strong and sudden breeze washed over them, surprising them both.

Normally, a strong wind even during a calm night wouldn’t surprise a sailor, but the wind just keep growing stronger and stronger, not stopping at all was ominous. After only a few seconds Bilbo needed to take a hold of the railing again in order to prevent himself from falling down from the force of the gusts. Thorin quickly placed his arm on his shoulder to steady him and looked up to see his nephew struggling down the mast, the look on his face similar to the one he had had when spotting the monster.

“This is unbelievable! It was all quiet just ten seconds ago! A storm can’t rise this fast!” Kili shouted, since a normal voice would be drown under the wind and the sound of the angry waves hitting the ship. The rocking caused everyone under the deck to come outside to see what the hell was going on, and when they realized that the rocking was caused by a storm, they were actually more surprised than if it had been another triple-headed sea monster. 

“And this all was started by a single breeze?!” Fili confirmed from his little brother just before the first waves rose high enough to land on the deck with the pirates. 

“Everyone back under the deck!” Thorin commanded, since the windless night had made them to roll-up sails earlier, they didn’t need to worry about them. 

“What’s wrong with these waters?! First it’s all calm and nice and then, poof! A monster or a hurricane!” Nori complained as he hopped down the stairs with his brothers. They had been near the entrance when Thorin gave his command, but for many others getting back inside wasn’t such an easy job. The storm was getting stronger by every passing second and the waves were washing up on the deck, making it too slippery to run fast. Dwalin, who had been one of the first ones on deck after sensing the danger, was practically gliding on the wet wood, being lucky enough to be scooped into the staircase by Bofur just before sliding to the sea. 

“We must go and help Thorin and the boys!” the bald pirate insisted when the others started to close the doors but he was held back by his friends and brother.

“Too risky! Besides, there is not much we can do now!” Dori reasoned, being painfully right. The only ones that were still outside were Thorin, Fili, Kili and Bilbo and they should just trust that the group would find their way to the downstairs or inside Thorin’s room before being thrown into the sea.

“Kili! Take my hand!” Fili reached for his brother as he was clutching the main mast. 

“Too late to try for the stairs!” Kili noted when he was finally with his older brother again, arms around the mast too. When Fili saw that he was right, the boy quickly snatched one of the security ropes and the brothers tied themselves to the main mast. 

“If we don’t survive, I need to confess something to you!” Fili started, gaining Kili’s full attention through the storm.

“What is it?!”

“That tall red-hair-“ a cold wave broke against their skins, swallowing the other half of Fili’s sentence.

“I kinda told her that you-“ another set of waves hit the brothers.

“So that’s why she slapped you!” Fili ended his confession, hearing how his brother was laughing in glee on the other side of the mast.

“You’re the worst, Fili! Absolutely the worst!”

At the same time, Thorin and Bilbo were also too far from the stairs and too far from Thorin’s cabin. Chaining themselves to one of the remaining masts would be risky, but at least it would prevent them from flying over the edge. Thorin tried to drag Bilbo by the arm towards to the foremast, but the wind had got so strong and the waves so high that even seeing was becoming hard. He was so focused on keeping his eyes on the mast that he couldn’t see how one of the barrels was flying across the deck and Bilbo had just enough time to notice it before it hit him hard on his side, making Thorin’s hold on him snap free as the barrel pushed the small man towards the edge of the ship.

“NO!” he heard Thorin’s voice faintly through the angry storm before he understood that he wasn’t touching the floor of the deck anymore. A wave had caught him and the barrel and was now dragging them both down to the sea. For a second everything went silent as he was pulled under water and when another wave brought him back to the surface he noticed to his horror that he couldn’t even see the ship anymore.

So, apparently Bilbo Baggins could survive in the hands of the two most feared pirates, could live through an epic fight with a unknown sea creature  _ but _ a little wind turned into a blazing storm would be his end. And now that he was at the mercy of the sea, not even knowing how to swim he was sure to die. The hell, even if he knew how to swim he wouldn’t have any energy to do so, the barrel hitting him had knocked the air out of his lungs. Soon he wouldn’t be even able to keep his eyes open anymore. The waves were carrying him, drowning him, lifting him, throwing him and the only thought in Bilbo’s mind was that he had been so close to survival! So close of getting back on the lovely, steady shore… 

Before he closed his eyes, closed them to never open them again, he thought that he saw something flying across the sky. Something like a big, dark and huge cloud. The cloud had the shape of an eagle. But surely, he thought, it was just a hallucination, a silly hallucination and then it all went dark. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Sorry for taking this long to update! My beta-reader sent this chapter to me already in last month, but I was too busy with everything to update it here earlier... Also sorry for not responding to your awesome comments! I try to answer soon at least to the ones who had some questions, I promise! But even though I don't have always time or energy to answer your comments really make me happy and I read every single one of them, you all have been so kind to me and have encouraged me to keep writing this story so I owe you all alot :) Thank you! And I also owe alot for my awesome beta-reader existentialnerdcrisis, I'm absolutely sure that I wouldn't have got this many readers without her helping me with the grammar and making my awkward sentences more... understandable? Haha, I definitely need her..! 
> 
> Thank you for reading this far and let's meet again!
> 
> Aaaand btw, the song that Bofur is singing here is called "Randy Dandy O"


	15. PART THREE: The survival and the new friend

There had been a terrible storm last night. The force of it could have destroyed villages, tore trees from their roots and, crushed the most stable buildings.

It could have sunken ships.

But the island was oblivious to these tragedies. The blazing wind was only a faint breeze here and the sea was gently laying its waves on the shore, lovingly caressing the sand before retreating backwards. The only sounds that could be heard on that peaceful morning were the seagulls’ cries. But that didn’t mean that the birds were the only occupants.

There was someone lying on the sand, just far enough that the waves didn’t reach his feet. His clothes were torn and dirty, his hair messy, and there were small bruises and wounds all over his body. He looked no better than a corpse, but he was alive and miraculously well considering his situation.

Bilbo was woken by the light and heat of the sun. He opened his eyes only to be forced by the sunrays to close them again. He opened his mouth and sucked in a breath, immediately noticing that he was thirstier than ever. His head felt heavy, every muscle in his body was sore but when he started to curl his fingers he felt a sudden rush of energy flood into his body.

“Sand… It’s sand,” he coughed weakly and forced himself to sit up. For what felt like several minutes, but was probably only a few seconds, he felt extremely nauseous and it took all he had to concentrate on not throwing up. When he got ahold of himself again he started to look around his surroundings and couldn’t believe his eyes.

He was on a solid land. And he was alive.

“I… how… It’s sand!” He gasped and buried his fingers into the ground. The feeling was so unreal that he couldn’t be sure that he wasn’t either dreaming or hallucinating.

“I don’t usually see anyone to get that excited about sand,” he heard a voice behind him say. Bilbo’s heart jumped to his throat as he automatically turned around to see the speaker. His brain told him not to panic when he discovered the voice belonged to an elderly, friendly looking man with a long gray beard.

“I’m-” Bilbo started but the dryness in his mouth and his stinging throat made speaking hard. The old man seemed to understand his problem and walked over to him, knelt down and offered Bilbo a water-skin.

“Slowly, just few gulps at the time,” he said and Bilbo tried to obey his advice. The water was lukewarm, but tasted heavenly.

“It looks like you have come from afar, my friend.” the man deducted after taking a closer look of Bilbo’s appearance.

“Where am I?” Bilbo asked as he gave the water-skin back to its owner.

“On an island called Rivendell. Does it mean anything to you?”

“No… I don’t know.” Bilbo shook his head, the movement turning out to be too much for his stiff neck and the nauseous feeling was back for a few seconds.

“You don’t look too well, son. What happened to you?”

“I was-” Bilbo closed his eyes and tried to think, his mind quickly bringing him back the dark images of raging storm, giant waves and black sky. Then he remembered the barrel and Thorin’s face as he was washed over the railing into the sea.

“The ship! Where they are?!” Bilbo stumbled to stand and forced his feet to drag him closer to the shoreline. The clear and open horizon continued forever, but there were no signs of any ships out there. He sunk back down to his knees and just kept staring forward.

“I’m glad to see you can move without much problem but, even so, I think it would be for the best to have someone to look at your wounds. You will need to eat and rest before you can start telling your story,” the man laid a hand on his shoulder and spoke slowly. “I have a friend living nearby, he can help you. What’s your name, son?”

“Bilbo… Bilbo Baggins,” Bilbo said and tried to stand again. It took more work than last time and as he was struggling to keep his balance he missed how the eyes of his companion widened, as if he had suddenly understood or realized something.

“Do you think you can walk about half a mile to that hill? I can get someone to pick us up from there to take us to my friend’s residence, but you can wait here too if it feels like too much.” the man asked and, without even thinking how difficult the half mile walk would be in his condition, Bilbo nodded.

“Yeah, I think I’ll manage. Thank you.”

Before they left the shore the man made Bilbo drink as few more gulps from his water skin. As if the liquid had contained some magic in it, Bilbo felt himself get over his nausea quickly and he suddenly had more energy to walk. From time to time the old man stopped to steady him when the terrain changed into uneven and rocky ground and only then Bilbo realized how tall the man really was, almost as tall as Dragon.

Their destination was a small hill in the middle of a green forest. The man guided Bilbo to sit down on a rock then he brought his hand to his mouth and whistled. And after just a few seconds, a black crow appeared in the sky and flew to him. Bilbo looked out at the scene in front of him in awe. The bird landed on the man’s arm and his savior started to whisper something to the crow. It looked like the bird was listening and understanding him, since it nodded before flying off again, disappearing among the trees.

“What was that?” Bilbo blinked his eyes and received an amused smile in return.

“I just sent a message for my friend’s subordinates to come and get us.”

“Subordinates? What is your friend- what are you?! I mean, who are you?” Bilbo looked at the man and the forest around them. Everything sparkled in green and the sky that peeked through the canopy was light blue and cloudless. The wind chanted magically in the trees, using the leaves as its instruments. The grey bearded stranger laughed at his own foolishness as he stepped in front of Bilbo and offered him his hand to shake it, apologizing first for forgetting his manners.

“I’m Gandalf, Gandalf Grey. And I’m here to help you, Bilbo.”

 

 

\---------------------------------

 

 

 

Soon a small horse carriage arrived to take Gandalf and Bilbo to their final destination. Bilbo’s head was still too dizzy to notice the fine details of the carriage that spoke of its royal quality. Even so, he wondered what kind of a man had a personal driver and a carriage like this to come and pick up guests whenever they needed a lift. Moreover, he wondered how someone who looked like Gandalf could even know such people? The old man’s beard was long and didn’t look very well kept. His clothes were old and shabby and on top of everything he wore a weirdly shaped, scuffed up hat. He also used a branch as a walking stick, nothing about him spoke of nobility.

“Where are we going?” Bilbo asked as the carriage suddenly drove inside a dark cavity.

“Why, to my friend’s place! Didn’t I already tell you that?”

“Yes, but who is your friend? I don’t know anything about him, or you either, just your name.”

“Yet you seem to trust me.”

“I have no choice, do I?” Bilbo said but he silently asked himself why he trusted this stranger. Well, he had been living with pirates and he trusted them not to poison his food or kill him in his sleep. He might as well trust this man and his mysterious friend too.

“My friend is known as Lord Elrond here in Rivendell. He is an honest and trusted leader who knows much about medicine. I’m sure that he will be able to help you and he is eager to hear how you got here.” Gandalf explained and Bilbo’s mouth fell open when he realized that he was about to meet someone called _Lord_ ; he had never met anyone who owned so high a title.

Soon the dark walls around them disappeared and to his great surprise Bilbo saw that the passageway had led them to the top of a _mountain_. It was a really tall mountain that Bilbo was sure he should have seen from miles away, even from the shore! At the foot of the mountain there was an enormous castle and around it there seemed to be some sort of a village and next to that was the endless sea. The whole magnificent view was straight from a fairytale.

“What- how?” Bilbo kept blinking his eyes as the horses pulled the carriage down the mountain road towards the castle.

“Lord Elrond likes privacy, of course, but more than that, this place is secluded for the safety of those who live here,” Gandalf explained. The long ride to their destination seemed short to Bilbo who looked at every single house, tree and waterfall in awe.

When they finally arrived at the castle’s front yard the mysterious Lord Elrond was already outside waiting for them. He was a tall man with long black hair and serious face. But when he smiled at his old friend and companion, Bilbo understood that he could indeed trust this man. He looked very pleasant when he smiled.

“Gandalf, good to see you again,” he greeted the bearded man and then turned his full focus on Bilbo.

“I see you have brought a new friend with you.”

“Yes, indeed I have. My friend, may I introduce you to Bilbo Baggins, a young man who has, without a doubt, an interesting story to tell us!” Gandalf exclaimed and Bilbo felt too embarrassed to look into Lord Elrond’s eyes. But if he had, he would have seen the same look of understanding as he could have seen on Gandalf’s face earlier when he had introduced himself.

Before Bilbo was made to tell his life story to these people, Lord Elrond led him inside the castle, took him to one of the beautifully decorated bedrooms and personally checked his wounds. He called a young man named Lindir into the room with them to assist him. Lord Elrond’s hands on his bruised skin were very gentle and he carefully cleaned Bilbo’s wounds with a washing cloth. The situation suddenly brought back memories of Oin and the clinical way he used his hands. The way Lord Elrond dressed his wounds was almost exactly the same as Oin’s, only more gentle. Also the ointment that Lord Elrond applied to his wounds smelled much better than the one they had in the pirate ship. For some unknown reason, Bilbo found himself of smiling just the tiniest bit from these memories, the events that seemed now to have happened so, so long ago.

After the treatment, Lindir gave him a new pair of clothes to wear and promised to wash and repair Bilbo’s old ones.

“They will be in the closet when they’re good to wear again,” the young, tall man said and Lord Elrond informed him that this room would be Bilbo’s as long as he wished to stay in Rivendell.

Before they took Bilbo into the dining room to eat something, he looked at his new room, in his mind comparing it to the one he had had in the Oakenshield. Well, it would be unfair to compare these two completely different worlds with each other. However, he couldn’t understand how just yesterday he had slept in a windowless cabin with only a few pieces of furniture, when today he would spend his night in this enormous room that was decorated fit for a king! Everything looked clean and expensive and there were more than ten tall windows facing the peaceful village.

“If there is anything you want, just say it and I have it made for you,” Lord Elrond said as they sat down to eat, but Bilbo couldn’t really understand what he could possibly want that wasn’t already on the table. He couldn’t even name all the different foods he saw before him in a long row! At first he thought that he wasn’t very hungry, but after the first bite of the white, porridge-like food he felt the energy quickly flood back into to his body and his appetite grew larger after every mouthful.

“When you have rested, I would really like to hear how you found yourself here in Rivendell and in such a condition,” Lord Elrond said but Bilbo felt himself suddenly very well rested and healthy and decided not to keep his new friends waiting.

“I was captured by pirates and then a storm washed me overboard and brought me to the shore.” Bilbo told the shortest version of his story, waiting for Gandalf and Lord Elrond to ask him what they wanted to know.

It wasn’t a surprise that they wanted to know every detail and to hear everything from the beginning. When Bilbo got to the part where Bofur and Bifur found him and took him onto the Oakenshield, Gandalf interrupted him with another question.

“And Smaug didn’t do anything to stop them?”

“No, I think that no one noticed me or remembered me during the battle.”

Gandalf and Elrond’s eyes met each other and for a second it looked like they were speaking telepathically, but soon their attention was back on Bilbo and he went on with his story. He told them about Thorin and his crew but he left out the part where Thorin had told everyone that Bilbo was now his to take and have whenever and wherever he pleased.

“So, after they finally understood that I meant nothing to Dragon they mostly just let me be… They had a nice, big library in there and I mostly spent my days there, or in the kitchen and so- Oh, but then a huge sea snake with three heads suddenly attacked us-“ Bilbo kept talking until he got to the part where Thorin had promised to give him back his freedom.

“He said that I would be free to go, just like that. But then the storm came and I fell into the ocean and I was so sure that I would die but then I found myself here and met you.” Bilbo ended his story, feeling now a bit tired after going through all the harsh events in his head. Gandalf saw the weariness in his eyes and urged Bilbo to go and sleep for a while.

“Remember, you’re free to stay in Rivendell as long as you like,” Lord Elrond kindly reminded him as Bilbo retired to his room. The sun had started to set and everything looked golden in its light. The room was light and yellow, far from the sad, blue shade that Thorin’s cabin had been. Bilbo collapsed onto the large, soft bed and thought that he had never felt such softness. It was far different from the hardness of the bed that he had slept in during his stay in the Oakenshield, and again the difference felt too drastic to be true. Maybe the storm really had killed him and he was now in heaven?

But Bilbo’s first night and many other nights that he spent in this large and heavenly soft bed were anything but peaceful. A strange worry kept him awake during the nights and made him wake in nightmares several times during the nights. In those nightmares a ruthless storm washed over the wooden deck, the lightning burned the masts and sails until the sea swallowed the once mighty ship, dragging it and its crew at the bottom of the ocean.

“What if they didn’t survive?”

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, here's some new characters and new places! I'm sorry for the delay again, all my fault since I got the chapter from my beta reader like ages ago but was too busy to update this sooner, I have my thesis in University (partly about pirates, haha..) and so and so and more excuses and so.... I'm really sorry that I don't have time to answer to your comments, even though they're the major reason why I keep writing this story! I'm so sorry but so thankful to you all who have commented, big hugs to you all! Also big thanks and hugs to everyone who have given kudos or added this fic to their bookmarks and to anyone who has read this! I promise to you that in the next chapter thing will get a little bit more... how to put it, more adventurous again? :D 
> 
> Thank you all and remember to thank my wonderful beta reader existentialnerdcrisis too! Till the next time then!


	16. The World full of choices

Lord Elrond had insisted  that Bilbo  stay in his quarters until he was sure that the younger man  was completely healthy and every single one of his bruises had vanished. Bilbo, of course, had nothing against that. His mind was a bit restless because of the peculiar worry he bore  for his former captors, but otherwise Rivendell was like a paradise to him; the castle had the biggest library he had ever seen, everyone around him treated him friendly,  and  he had clean clothes to wear and delicious food to eat every day. 

There were also flowers blooming in every corner of the large garden outside.

After about two weeks, Bilbo’s bruises, wounds , and sore muscles were already forgotten but he still had no idea where to go from Rivendell. When Lord Elrond  learned of his worry, he told him again that Bilbo was welcomed to stay in the castle as long as he liked, even for the rest of his days. 

“You can call Rivendell your home from now on, if you want to.” the Lord smiled  at him and Bilbo didn’t know  what prevented him for accepting the offer right away.

“Thank you, I’ll think about it.” he smiled back but Lord Elrond noticed that his smile didn’t reach his eyes. 

But even if Bilbo hadn’t made his permanent stay in Rivendell official, he woke up one day realizing that he had already spent almost two whole months  on this island. During those months he had made great friends with Lord Elrond and his subordinates, and often spent his  evenings chatting with them. Just like with Smaug, they talked about flowers too, but this time there was no need for Bilbo to be afraid of someone hitting him if his topics or answers didn’t please them. He also spent his  time reading the library books outside in the garden, in  the  middle of his beloved flowers under a warm, caring sunlight; that was his favorite pastime. 

Gandalf also visited his friends often and on those days he often took Bilbo with him for a walk in the village and there Bilbo made them  stop in front of  almost  every little stall to wonder at the amazing works of  the  craftsmen. Once he met a carpenter and saw the most beautiful wooden candlesticks that the man had  crafted himself . There were small figures crafted on in, just like  on Bofur’s fishing rod. The carefree smile of the whiskered pirate flashed in his mind and he felt a sting in his heart. 

“You don’t happen to know  if there have been any shipwrecks or anything… The storm that brought me here, do you think it could have sunk a ship?” Bilbo had  asked his old friend when they were about to eat dinner later that day.

“Bilbo, my friend, if you wouldn’t have found your way  here miraculously and told me about that terrible gale I wouldn’t have never guessed that a storm like that had been blazing nearby!” Gandalf told him and Bilbo didn’t know  if that supposed to make him feel better or worse. 

“But do you think that it  was possible to  survive it ?” he dared to ask and Gandalf smiled.

“Everything is possible in this world . ”  At that answer,  Bilbo smiled back faintly and started to  eat, though the worry he felt for his former companions,  or kidnappers,  still didn’t vanish from his mind. 

Bilbo  had known  that he wouldn’t be much of a help  to the Oakenshield’s crew even if they had  survived the storm. And if Bilbo, a miserable little man who didn’t even know how to swim had survived,  those fighters probably  did too. That thought eased his  many worries for a while,  but after that he  always  started to question why he was even worried? Sure, he had spent weeks, months in that pirate ship and the crew had mostly treated him well. He  hadn’t receive d a single injury from Thorin’s men or from the captain himself, not physically at least. Sure, he had felt a need to fear for his life at the beginning, but now thinking back on the last weeks he had spent on the ship… Ye s , they had been almost pleasant. The only one who m he had  still been afraid of  was the captain, but in his heart Bilbo knew that ever since Thorin had saved him from the snake Bilbo hadn’t been seriously afraid of him anymore. Not afraid of the man killing him, at least. And somehow he also knew that Thorin wouldn’t make  good on  his other  threats too , like taking whatever he wanted from Bilbo  whenever he wanted… After all, Thorin wasn’t a monster, and Bilbo found himself thinking back fondly  to  the last conversation he had had with him on the deck, smoking tobacco together…

“For someone who has a  home here , you look oddly homesick.” Gandalf  was studying  his face and Bilbo shook his head, trying to get back to the present, back to the garden bench where he was sitting with the older man, smoking pipes and blowing thin smoke rings to the sky.

“I was just thinking too much again, don’t worry.” Bilbo reassured his friend but after a short silence he couldn’t help but ask  about  another thing that had plagued his mind these past two months.

“Gandalf… do you think that  all pirates are like Dragon? I mean, ruthless and violent towards their enemies and everyone else too?” he asked, not trusting himself enough to  look the gray bearded man  in the eyes.

“Well, there are many reasons why some people choose piracy, and for some it’s not even a choice.” the man answered and Bilbo , of course , wanted to know more about the cases  of some who are  driven to a life like that.

“For some it’s the only way to survive or  to  get what they want. If that is the case, I don’t think that they are just heartless murders. Of course, one wouldn’t survive in the world of criminals and monsters without being ready to use his sword or pistol when needed, but not everyone enjoy s killing the innocent folks like Smaug  does . I once knew a pirate who was ready to live in that dangerous world because that was the only way to get what everyone secretly desire s more than anything else; freedom.”

“How can  living the life of a criminal give you a sense of freedom?” Bilbo scowled but Gandalf just smiled.

“The sea has no rules, Bilbo. When you’re sailing on it you’re either at its mercy or free with it, it just depends  on  how you decide to look at it. If you become a sailor or a fisherman , you ’ll have responsibi lity , but as a pirate you are free to come and go as you please.”

“Is that what that pirate of yours used to say?” Bilbo guessed and Gandalf winked at him.

“ _ Pirate,  _ could be just  another name to call those who sail the seas without wanting to obey anyone, anyone but the sea itself.” Bilbo thought that  quote must have also  originally belonged to Gandalf’s pirate-friend. 

“But you should know better than me,” Gandalf said before blowing another smoke ring, “weren’t you the one who spent months on _two_ different pirate ships and survived?”

“Well, yes, of course… That’s why I’m asking, since they were really different pirate ships, though  both  as scary at first.” Bilbo  replied and thought back to the day when he was transferred to the Oakenshield. That had been the only time he had seen the crew fighting against other  men , but he couldn’t really remember anything about the incident. Thorin’s men had proven their fighting skills later when  they  practic ed and  when they slayed the triple-headed monster, but Bilbo couldn’t recall them ever boasting about how many islands they had  attacked or how many  people  they had killed and robbed, just like Dragon used to do. Thorin seemed to care about nothing else but finding the Arkenstone and the map that  led to its hid ing place; burning islands and robbing them didn’t seem to interest him  in the least. 

Could it be that Thorin originally didn’t just have any other choice? Like Bofur, Bombur and Bifur who had lost their home and couldn’t fi nd anywhere else to fit in ? Or like Nori and his brothers who would have died otherwise? Maybe none of them had a choice?

“I feel like, if I just had stayed with them only a little bit longer, I would have come to understand them all pretty well.” Bilbo sighed, and  though Gandalf didn’t really understand what he meant, he decided not to ask anything  more ; his young friend  already  had  quite  enough questions to answer. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .....so sorry that I haven't been updating! I'm working with my thesis and though my beta reader finished with this chapter like, ages ago, I just forgot to update it here! So sorry! And I'm really, really sorry that I haven't been answering to you amazing comments! They remind me to keep writing this and support me greatly! I know that this chapter is very short but the next one is much longer and more interesting! Until that, keep being wonderful you all! :--)
> 
> And like all the previous chapters, this one is also beta read by the wonderful existentialnerdcrisis!


	17. Eventually find my way

“Mister Baggins? Here, Lord Elrond asked me to give this to you.”

“Hmm? Oh, thank you, Lindir.” Bilbo smiled up to the tall youngster as the lad gave him a book titled  _ “Sea legends collected all around the world”. _ They were in the  library;  it was afternoon and Bilbo had  only meant to return one of the books he had just finished but had found another interesting one right away and started to read it  while he sat at  the large desk  in  the room. 

“My Lord says that you like to read about the sea and its mythologies these days.” Lindir said and Bilbo nodded. For some reason, after he had had his conversation with Gandalf about the pirates and being free  at  sea last week, he had busied himself by gathering information about that big blue, mysterious world. Funny,  the  sea had never really interest ed him  before  and one would think that after being forced to spend months on it he would never even want to hear about anything related to  the  sea again. 

“I’m surprised how much literature there is about the legends of  the sea. I won’t be getting bored any time soon.” Bilbo said and Lindir smiled, telling the short man that he would come back to get him  when dinner was ready. Bilbo thanked him again and when the tall teenager closed the library’s door after him, Bilbo was left alone in the huge, book-filled room.  

Bilbo put the book he had been reading aside and took the one Lindir gave him in his hands. The legends interest him mostly because he wanted to find out  if there  was  any information about the huge triple-headed sea snake that he had encountered some months ago. There must be something about it in  the  books, since he remembered how his mother once told him how she had seen one. Of  course,  Bilbo knew that his mother couldn’t have  _ really  _ met the monster, after all she always sailed on merchant ships from port to port, not with pirates in some unknown waters! So she must have heard or read about the creature somewhere. Or, if Bilbo was being realistic, his mother had such a colorful imagination that she could have as well just invent ed a creature like that just to amuse her child. And that option seemed to be the accurate one, since when Bilbo was flipping through the pages of the  _ “Sea legends collected all around the world”,  _ there was not a word  about any sort of giant snakes. 

Oh, wait a minute, there was something distantly related.

_“Dragons, the guardians of sky and sea.”_ Bilbo read the chapter’s title aloud. As he kept on reading, the book told him that there was no actual proof about dragons existing in this world. It was believed that the stories of them were told to scare enemies and rivals away from the hidden treasures. The dragons were huge creatures that could live underwater and fly and they had the ability to spit fire, so the description didn’t fit the sea snake. When the book started to describe the ways and terrible habits of angry dragons Bilbo felt shivers running up and down his spine; Smaug’s nickname was more suitable for him than he had first thought. 

Not to awake more nasty memories about the feared pirate captain, Bilbo skip ped through the sentences until it felt safe to read properly again. Now he was at the part that told about the kinder side of these monsters. There was even a short story  included about a poor man who saved a dragon from a sure death.

 

_ “The thankful dragon cried a tear that turned into a precious stone and it told the man that as long as he had it, he would never be in need of money, food or love again. Some still believe to this day that the stone actually exists, and this legendary treasure is called the Arkensto-“ _

 

 

Shocked, Bilbo dropped  the book from his hands on to the floor. For a few second he just stood still and stared at the back of the book. Then he quickly snatched it up and flipped the pages hastily until he found the right one again.

_ “-is called the Arkenstone.” _ he read aloud, his voice wavering. He read forward, but the book didn’t say anything anymore about it. So Bilbo ran to the bookshelves, trying to find another book that could have something about the stone. Of course, just skimming through the whole collection of old writings would take ages and it would have been wise for Bilbo to ask Lindir to find him someone who could help him to find the needed information, but Bilbo wasn’t thinking clearly anymore. The words of the Oakenshield’s crew rang in his ears, like he had heard them only minutes ago.

_ “-snake and our uncle- I mean captain, Thorin, have both been searching for the Arkenstone for years. Our great grandfather found it when he was a young sailor but that lizard – your  _ ex-lover  _ I mean – stole it from him-“ _

_ “But the thing is, the snake doesn’t have the Arkenstone anymore either,” _

_ “Captain and the slug aren’t the only ones who have searched for the treasure; they are just the only ones who haven’t given up or died during their quest,” _

_ “The Arkenstone is a legendary stone. They say that it has magical powers. Our great grandfather made great sums of money while he still owned it.” _

After couple of hours Bilbo was  completely exhausted and the floor was filled with piles of books. He hadn’t found a nother single word about the  Arkenstone , but then again, he had only searched a small part of the books that Lord Elrond’s library had to offer. Soon he came to understand that he would need help with his search. He started to put the books back  in their places, feeling somewhat defeated. Even though there was still a chance of there being another book  about the Arkenstone, Bilbo was pretty sure that he had already opened every book  in the section that had literature about sea legends and mythologies. When he was about to leave the library, he walked past the small door that had  _ “storage”  _ written on it. Normally Bilbo hadn’t paid much attention to that door, but now it caught his interest. Maybe Lord Elrond stacked some of the oldest or not often read books there? Bilbo turned to look outside from one of the tall windows and deduced from the position of the sun that it would still take about half an hour  before dinner was served. He would just take a quick peek inside the storage, just to see  if there were any more books. That way he wouldn’t need to bother Lindir or Lord Elrond or anyone else with  t his matter. 

The door didn’t have a lock on it and when Bilbo opened it, there were just narrow stairs in front of him that disappeared into darkness. Bilbo hesitated a bit, but decided to climb up as long as he could still see where he was going. The stairs were old and creaked unpleasantly as Bilbo stepped on them, but otherwise the steps felt strong and he wasn’t afraid of them  giving  in under his weight.

Suddenly, he found himself standing on a small platform, at the end of the stairs. There was a small door in front of him and as Bilbo slowly opened it he called out just in case.

“Hello? Sorry to disturb you, I was just wondering if there is any more books to-” he started but shut his mouth after seeing that there were no one in the room,  and  there  weren’t any books either. But otherwise, the room was filled with different things.

There w as lots of old furniture, covered under sheets of fabric. On the walls, there were old maps and paintings, portraits and landscapes. There were neat piles of old clothes and  a  few chests that could have contained anything. At the end of the room, there was a huge balcony and it had a perfect view  of the sea; Bilbo had not seen that view since he came to Rivendell. For a moment he  wondered why a room with such a good view was  kept as storage  instead of a monitoring room , for example. 

Looking at the sea, Bilbo felt a weird sting in his chest. He tried to shake the feeling away and went back to observing the room. He decided to test if one of the chests was locked, just to see if it contained books. The one he decided to try was unfortunately locked and Bilbo guessed that the others would be as well. But when he was about to leave, a painting above the chest captured his eye. The portrait was covered in dust, so Bilbo leaned forward to wipe some of it off to see the painted person’s face better. He quickly noticed that the painting was unfinished, the reason for that remaining to him forever unknown. But the artist had already captured the face and some of the body language of his model. 

“A pirate?” Bilbo deduced after looking at the man posing in the painting. He was very young, his face still had some sort of boyish roundness in it, so he was probably just a teenager. But despite his age, the boy in the picture looked very proud, his smile almost arrogant. That was  the reason why he had thought that the portrait would be  of a pirate, he seemed to have the attitude. And Bilbo was absolutely right, as he soon found out because at the corner of the  painting there was no signature of the  artist but on the frame, at the  bottom, there read a name that Bilbo hadn’t heard for a long time.

Deadly Nightshade

“My friend didn’t like that one very much, the artist put too much  of  his own vision in to it  so we  decided to keep it here.” 

Bilbo didn’t scare that much when he heard Gandalf’s voice behind him. The man stood only about three feet away from him, quite far from the door and  the  creaky stairs. Bilbo was about ask how he got in so quietly or  if there was an other passage  in to the room, but for a n old man Gandalf seemed to love  pulling  little pranks so he knew he wouldn’t get a straight answer from him.  Besides , something else was much more important right now.

“So Deadly Nightshade was this pirate friend of yours, huh? Why  am I not that surprised..” Bilbo shook his head and turned to look at the painting again.

“Then it was this young fellow who fooled  Dragon, stole the Arkenstone , and then hid it and the map to it so well that no one  could find the treasure, the map , or him after all these years. It’s pretty hard to believe now when  I look at him.” Bilbo said, having imagined this sly pirate to look a bit more… Well, just different than a young boy. 

“Like I said, this is not very well painted.” Gandalf smiled and laid his hand on Bilbo’s shoulder.

“But what are you doing here? I thought that something was wrong when you didn’t show up  for dinner .

“What happened to him? Did he come here before or after he stole the Arkenstone, do you know where he went or i f he  is  still alive?” Bilbo kept asking and wasn’t going to listen any other talk than the answers to his questions. Knowing that, Gandalf told him that Rivendell had been Deadly Nightshade’s secret hideout for  a  couple of years before he stole the Arkenstone. After that, he made just a one stop in Rivendell, then left to hide the stone and Gandalf hadn’t heard from his friend ever since. 

“It’s been about ten years since anyone had seen Deadly Nightshade.” Gandalf sighed and looked at the painting,  clearly disappointed that it didn’t  bring justice to its model’s features. 

“So even you don’t know is he still alive or not…” Bilbo confirmed and got a nod as an answer from his tall friend. When Bilbo noticed that he had probably brought too much sorrow and sad memories to Gandalf’s mind, he tried to turn the  topic somewhere else, so that the old man wouldn’t worry about his friend’s fate.

“But it’s very, very interesting and almost unbelievable that because of this young man the two most feared pirates are turning the whole sea upside down while searching  for  the treasure he hid! They haven’t even f ound the map yet, he must be very clever for his age. I’m sure that someone who is blessed with that  much boldness and intelligence will  survive anything .” Bilbo tried to comfort Gandalf and gained a small smile from the man. 

“Well, now that I have  answered your questions could you tell me now why you came to this room in the first place? Were you looking for something?” The older man asked.

“One book mentioned the Arkenstone briefly and I wanted to know i f there was any more information about it… Well, I saw the door and the stairs and thought that maybe they ke pt more books here or  something. Then  I suddenly saw this painting and it just caught my interest.” Bilbo explained, suddenly feeling very stupid; the library was huge, surely everything that was ever written would fit in there.

“So this painting caught your interest, hmm? I could have  sworn that there is one another that you would find way more interesting.” Gandalf said and turned to look at the opposite wall, guiding Bilbo’s eyes  in that direction too. There w as nothing what would particularly interest him right away, just few chairs and one painting that w as covered under a sheet. Bilbo walked  over  and looked around. He carefully lifted the sheet  over one  chair but all it  revealed was old wood. The second one was also just a chair.

“I really don’t understand what in here could  possibly  interest me. I mean, there are no books, so…” Bilbo explained as he moved the sheet over the painting to see its name. Since the light was very dim in the room, it took him for a while to read the letters that had been engraved  on the frame years ago.

“The Ki...ng, The King Du..rin. The King Durin.” Bilbo spelled out and as the realization hit him he quickly yanked the rest of the sheet away. The movement sent a thick layer of dust  flying all around him and he had to close his eyes for a moment, but when he opened them again his whole body froze.

“Thorin…” he swallowed. The man in the painting looked just like the captain of the Oakenshield. He  had long , dark hair but his beard was a bit longer than what Bilbo had been used to see ing . In the painting, Thorin was looking somewhere off in the distance, his profile strong and his face stern. For some reason, Bilbo wouldn’t have painted him like that. If he were an artist, he would have painted Thorin with his pipe, smoking peacefully on his ship; that was his best memory of him.

“No, that’s his grandfather, the king Thror.” Gandalf walked to stand next to him to look at the painting. 

“The king? But I thought that his grandfather was a sailor?”

“Yes, his kingdom, Erebor, used to be  a  very poor island where nothing grew, it was just full of rocks and stones. The  royals did the same work as their people, fished or crafted to get some food and things to sell. Thror however, wanted something better for him and his people and set  off  on a dangerous journey to find something, anything that could make the trees bloom and grass grow in his land. Well, he didn’t find anything that would make his island greener but he found the Arkenstone. You must have heard that the Arkenstone has some very peculiar powers? After Thror’s return , Erebor soon became a center marketplace for merchants and sailors and so Thror is considered as  the first real, meaningful king in Erebor. But as his wealth grew, he started to distan ce himself from his people , to built up his status and to gain more power over them. He built himself a high castle and started to collect more taxes than people were able to pay.”

“But that doesn’t sound right at all. The Arkenstone was supposed to bring luck to its owner, right?” Bilbo wondered and Gandalf  bent down to smile at him.

“Why, Bilbo, don’t you think that living in luxury is counted as being lucky?” 

“No, well… His luxury seemed to only bring unhappiness to everyone else. And what I meant, he is- was the king! The kings are the good guys, not bad and greedy ones like-”

“Like pirates?”

To that, Bilbo shut his mouth for a while. He focused  on the painting again and didn’t know what to think. Thorin was the grandson of a king, who now was deceased. If Bilbo remembered correctly, Fili or Kili had told him that Thorin’s father ran away and abandoned his family and  apparently,  his people too. So this means that Thorin is not just a prince anymore, he is a king, a king without a kingdom.

“Do you know what exactly happened after that? I only heard that Dragon stole the stone, burned the island and later one of his henchmen killed Thror.” 

“Yes, that’s sadly true. The more detailed version is that Smaug, who was just a young man when Thror already had aged, heard about the Arkenstone and its powers. He hired other pirates to take Erebor down and burned everything that the people had built. After getting his treasured stone, he betrayed the other pirates, only sharing with those who knew to respect him. That’s how Smaug gained his name and reputation, he can thank the greed that the Arkenstone brought to him for that. When Thror had lost everything, his son Thrain escaped, leaving all the responsibility to his old father and young son Thorin. Thror took Thorin with him and went to search  for  Smaug, but they didn’t get far before they met Azog, who killed Thror. Thorin was able to cut off Azog’s hand and that’s probably the reason why Azog  allied  with Smaug, to have his revenge against Thorin.”

Bilbo remembered how Azog’s left arm was replaced with a sharp hook and how the big, musc ular man had scars all over his face and body ; did Thorin really  cause most of them? 

“Why  didn’t they tell me? I mean, they spoke to me so  openly most of the  time .” Bilbo wondered aloud but Gandalf had an answer ready for him.

“Thorin doesn’t want to be called king before he has earned that title. He feels that his father’s escape  brought shame to their name. Besides, he doesn’t even have a kingdom to rule anymore.”

“And how do you know this all?” Bilbo finally turned his eyes away from the painting to face Gandalf. The old man was as calm as ever, acting like he had nothing to hide but Bilbo was sure that the oldster was  craftier than his appearance suggested . 

“You can thank Lord Elrond for these stories. He has  vowed to protect his people from bad pirates and criminals and that’s why he and his men gather as much information as they can about their every move. Rivendell has a strong army, but they don’t fight unless Rivendell is in absolute danger: Lord Elrond doesn’t want to risk anybody's life for nothing. But he does sends patrols to find out about pirates’ whereabouts and sends help to the islands where they have attacked.”

“Why didn’t you tell me this any sooner?”

“We thought that you  already had so many things  o n your mind. You have been through a lot, Bilbo, and we weren’t sure how much you wanted to know. So we decided to wait for you to ask.”

“Had I not found this room and seen this painting, I wouldn’t have known to ask anything.” Bilbo remarked. Then a thought crept in to his mind, a bizarre one but it seemed to be the most sensible one back then.

“Wait, did you somehow know that that I would eventually find my way into this room?”

But Bilbo never got his answer. Suddenly they both heard a horn being played outside the castle and when they hurried to the balcony, they saw  that the coast was full of boats and Lord Elrond’s people. 

“What’s happening?” Bilbo wondered, fearing that they were under attack. 

“Oh, it’s just one of Lord Elrond’s patrols that I was talking about. Seems like they brought some casualties with them, but it looks like that there is far more of them than  usual …” Gandalf said and then he told Bilbo to follow him downstairs to Lord Elrond. They found him from standing in another balcony, reading a report that one of his men had just brought him. From time to time his eyes wandered from the paper to stare at  the  scene below him, worry shadowing his handsome face.

“This is certainly worrying: Smaug is moving rapidly to the west, destroying every island and ship that comes across him.”

“Isn’t that what he always does?” Bilbo wondered when his two companions looked puzzled.

“No, even Smaug doesn’t take unnecessary risks and he has even  attacked very poor villages and sunken small fishing boats. It’s not like he gets anything for himself by doing so.” Lord Elrond explained.

“He has also been very careless. Usually when we follow his tracks there hadn’t been many who have  survived his attacks, if any. Now it seems that he hadn’t even been interested  in killing and destroying everyone and everything he sees. It almost seems like he’s looking for something…”

“Or someone.” Gandalf continued and for a minute all three men just stood still and listened  to  Elrond’s servants helped the wounded civilians out of the rescue boats  and the small  children crying . That was the first  time Bilbo understood that Rivendell wasn’t some paradise on earth; the pain and sorrow from outside could also touch it deeply. 

“My Lord, I just received a message from the patrol eight that-” Lindir stepped in but shut his mouth immediately as he noticed that their short guest was also with his Lord.

“Tell me what it is, Lindir.” Lord Elrond demanded, laying a hand on Bilbo’s shoulder  as if  to imply that he had nothing to hide from him.

“The patrol eight saw the Oakenshield. It seems that Smaug is tracking it down more fiercely than usually.”

“Thorin…” Bilbo gasped and all of  a  sudden he felt very light.

“They’re alive.” he said and being so focused on that light feeling inside of him he completely missed the  way Gandalf looked at him with sadness in his old eyes.

“A few of the victims from  the  Gordon region  knew that the Oakenshield had indeed made a stop there to repa ir its mast.  Only two weeks  later  Smaug’s ship  arrived there  and burned down  the  island after interrogating the people about the blue ship and its men.  T wo young boys were hiding  inside barrels and they were the only survivors as Smaug quickly sli t everyone’s throats, being in a great hurry to continue his journey.”  Lindir reported to his Lord. After leaving the Gordon island it seems that Smaug had made a stop in every island that was on his way, questioning people about his enemy before killing them  quick ly and brutally.

“It seems that the only thing he has been careful about is to collect every  firearm ,  sword and  ax from every island and ship he has destroyed. Smaug is heavily armed now, it is most likely  his intention  to s ink the Oakenshield and finally end their  long-lasting  war.”

Lord Elrond and Gandalf  were waiting  to hear more details but suddenly Bilbo, who had been lost in his thoughts for a while, interrupted everyone with his own questions.

“How long it will take to Dragon to find the Oakenshield? If we know  where they both are, can’t we somehow warn Thorin and the others before it’s too late?”

Lord Elrond looked troubled. He  bent down to look Bilbo in the eyes and told him that the fights between pirates weren’t his business. 

“We follow their tracks to keep others safe, not to mingle with their problems.” the lord said and Bilbo couldn’t believe his host.

“But the Oakenshield, Thorin and everyone else… You know that they're not evil! I mean, none of them had a choice to be anything else but pirates.” Bilbo pleaded but Lord Elrond shook his head.

“That wasn’t their only choice, it was just a choice they made. I know that you feel like they treated you quite well when you were their prisoner, but believe me Bilbo, Thorin Durin and his men have done their own share of crimes while sailing these seas.”

“Thorin has been cruel to his enemies, though not nearly as bloodthirsty as Smaug. But everyone who had tried to stand  i n his way  bears deep marks on their bodies from their meeting.” Gandalf cut in but Bilbo refused to believe them. Damn it, it had been Gandalf himself who had told Bilbo that there w as certainly more than one way for a man end up in piracy!

“You don’t know them! Yes, you know their backgrounds and what the patrols inform ed you, but you don’t know them. I spent weeks, months with them, day and night and saw what kinds of brutes they can sometimes be but they’re not murderers.” Bilbo closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He brought himself back to those days spent on the Oakenshield, to its dark library where he would find the diligent Ori having a conversation with Dwalin who looked at the boy with a promise to protect the last of his innocence.  In his  mind,  he wandered with a book to the kitchen to find Nori, Bofur, Bifur and Bombur there, making jokes and laughing at each other. And on deck he saw Fili and Kili  practicing their fighting skills, always helping  each other up when one stumble d down. He would know that the doctor and his brother were downstairs having a conversation, walk past Dori and Balin who chatted casually with each other but then his eyes glued to the captain, to Thorin’s broad back as he stared  at the horizon, smoking his pipe.  

“They’re carpenters, cooks, scribes and doctors, friends, companions, brothers and nephews, families… A family.” Bilbo opened his eyes, the images from his mind still lingering before his eyes. Though this time Bilbo didn’t miss how Gandalf and Lord Elrond exchanged looks, their faces painted with some sort of amazement. 

“You don’t mean you wish to be part of that family, Bilbo?”, Gandalf asked, “I understand that you feel sympathy towards Thorin now that you know his and his men’s story but you also must know that the road they took is  a  hard and dangerous one. There are people who would gladly pay for their heads.”

“I don’t know what I want anymore... But I know that I must warn them. Without them, I would still be  o n Dragon’s ship or  I would have  died long ago. If no one else is going to help them, I’ll go by myself.” Bilbo vowed and the two older men could see from his eyes that he had made up his mind, there was nothing they could do about it now. 

“There’s no guarantee that a bird would survive to take the message to Thorin Durin, and knowing his suspicious mind he would think  it a trap. I think that the only way to get to him is to send a small patrol to them and have you personally warn him.” Lord Elrond said and Bilbo nodded. It wasn’t going to be easy to leave Rivendell, he would surely regret his decision. But right now the unsure future didn’t matter to him, right now he needed to warn Thorin and his crew and nothing else mattered. 

“We’ll start arrangements right away. You’ll be leaving before the sun rises.” the lord told him and Bilbo nodded. He gave a one last look towards the waiting sea before he hurried back to his room to make himself ready for this dangerous journey.

For the first time in his entire life, Bilbo Baggins felt truly brave. 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Boy, it's been a long time, I'm sorry about the wait but here you have the newest chapter, a bit longer one and meaningful so I hope that it was at least somewhat a worth of waiting :) I'm really sorry that I haven't been answering to your lovely comments, I read every single one and everyone has been so nice to me, it makes me so happy to know that there are people actually reading and enjoying this story. I must admit that without your comments I would have probably forget this story for a longer time, since after the previous update I happened to move in the UK and it's been a very colorful and eventful (but also like the very best) experience for me so far :D 
> 
> I do have one sad news for you: The awesome existentialnerdcrisis who has done the beta reading for this story this far unfortunately cannot continue with this project, so I'm now looking for a new beta reader for this fic. If you are interested just drop me a comment here :) But let's all give a big Thank You to existentialnerdcrisis for working with this story with me over a one long year and for doing absolutely fantastic job! Even though that I now live in the UK I'm still not native in English so her help has been really important and I'm sure that she has helped you all to enjoy this story more :)


	18. In need of a map and a sword

It was strange, how familiar it felt, to be on a ship again. Bilbo remembered how he’d first felt when Gollum had dragged him onto the Dragon’s ship. Back then, he’d felt that even the faintest wave rocked the ship too much and it would be a small miracle if he managed to walk across the deck without falling down. But now… now he just stepped on board, not even thinking about falling nose first on the floor. He only realized just how comfortable he felt long after they had left Rivendell. He couldn’t even see the island anymore when he finally uncurled his fingers and looked at the peculiar _map_ that Lord Elrond had given to him.

“Acorn?” Bilbo had asked as the lord gave it to him.

“Yes, acorn. You already heard from Gandalf that there had been one pirate that was a true friend of everyone in Rivendell?” Lord Elrond asked and Bilbo nodded.

“I know: Deadly Nightshade.”

“The one and only. Thorin and Smaug have both searched for the Arkenstone for years now, but without the map to its hiding place they will both remain lost forever.”

“Wait, is this acorn the map to the Arkenstone? Is that what you’re telling me?”

“Well, kind of. But it’s better to say that this acorn is just a part of the map. The map wouldn’t be useless without it, but it’s a great aid.”

“I must say that I really don’t understand what you mean.” Bilbo confessed without shame and Lord Elrond smiled at him.

“You don’t need to understand, not yet.”

They had already stocked a small yet very well equipped ship to take Bilbo to the Oakenshield. Going with him would be ten of Lord Elrond’s trusted men, to ensure his safety.

“Smaug was last seen in the west. He can’t possibly catch us, and he’s the only pirate we should be afraid of, so we’re sure to be safe.” the Lord’s captain - a tall handsome blonde man, Haldir, assured.

“Smaug is fast and unpredictable. There’s also other pirates and dangers too. That’s why I don’t want Bilbo to leave us unarmed.” Gandalf walked next to his small friend and handed him a small sword.

“It’s an old one, but I had it polished for you.”

“A sword? No, I can’t take it, I don’t even know how to use it!” Bilbo protested, remembering how he wasn’t even able to lift Thorin’s sword when the snake attacked them.

“I really hope you will never have to know how to use it,” Gandalf nodded, “but the reason I’m giving it you is that this isn’t an ordinary sword. Here, it’s very light.”

Bilbo took the weapon and was surprised how it wasn’t heavy at all. Unlike with Thorin’s big sword, Bilbo felt how the handle of this smaller one felt perfect in his grip. He lightly pressed his fingertip on the tip of the blade, feeling the sharpness.

“It’s not a toy... What do you mean that it’s not ordinary? Because it’s so light and small?” Bilbo wondered.

“You’re right, it’s far from a toy. You can do the same amount of harm with it as with any other sword but of course the length of the blade forces you to go closer your opponent during the fight. What makes it special is that the blade glows blue when danger is near.”

A magical sword, then. Bilbo’s inner child was jumping up and down in excitement but the adult in him found it hard to believe in that.

“I thought red was the colour of danger.” Bilbo smiled shortly but decided to accept Gandalf’s gift. After all, the sword wasn’t heavy and it felt like it was made for him, maybe he could find some use for it someday.

“After you have delivered your message to the Oakenshield, you’re welcome to come back here.” Lord Elrond reminded him again and Bilbo smiled at him gratefully.

“Thank you, I’m sure that I’ll come back.” he said but even though he truly meant to come back, he felt a little sting in his chest.

“I’m sure that we’ll meet again, sooner or later.” Gandalf patted his shoulder and smiled at him. As soon as they were done with the goodbyes, Bilbo followed Haldir to the ship and they weighed anchor. Lord Elrond and Gandalf stayed at the port and watched the ship disappear over the horizon.

“You look worried, my friend.” Lord Elrond stated when Gandalf had sighed for the third time.

“Don’t get me wrong. I know that this is his fate and he’ll be fine, but I just can’t help worrying.”

“You saved him once Mithrandir, you have already played your part”, the lord reminded his old friend as the turned his back to the sea and began to walk away. Gandalf stood still and stared at the darkening horizon for a few moments more until he too left the port.

“You’re right. I can’t send an eagle to help him every time he gets into trouble.”

 

\-------------

 

Haldir had said that they should catch the Oakenshield in about a week. Lord Elrond’s ship was small and fast, perfect for their quest but unsuitable for fighting. Thankfully according to the other patrols, there shouldn’t be any other pirates except for Thorin’s company where they were heading.

“What about Dragon?” Bilbo had asked but Haldir didn’t seem to be worried.

“Our ship is faster than his. When we reach the Oakenshield, it will still take about two more days for Smaug to find him. That should give Thorin enough time to prepare himself for the fight.” Haldir explained to reassure him, but Bilbo still didn’t felt at ease. He kept forgetting that they weren’t on their way to fight alongside with Thorin, they were just messengers. Somehow that made him feel like they were abandoning the pirates, but what help could he be for them in the battle? He only had his short sword and the little acorn that was supposed to be some sort of a map.

 _“Why did he even give this to me?”_ Bilbo kept thinking as he rolled the acorn between his fingers, _“It’s not like I need a map when I’m not going anywhere…”_

As the days passed by, Haldir seemed to learn how to read Bilbo’s thoughts. During the suppers, he kept reminding Bilbo how Lord Elrond wanted to stay impartial and not take any sides when it came to the pirates and their problems. He also said that even though every man now on board were soldiers, they were chosen for this voyage mainly because of their skills as sailors, not fighters.

“If we somehow get into trouble, our best chance is to flee. Like I told you before, this ship is one of the fastest ones that this sea has ever seen; we don’t need to fight.” Haldir would keep telling him, and whenever he did, Bilbo would glance at his small sword.

_“They gave me a map when I’m not lost and a sword when I don’t need to fight. Why do I feel like there’s something odd in that?”_

But those questions weren't the ones that kept Bilbo awake during the nights or made him pace back and forth on deck. Somehow he felt excited to think that he would soon see Thorin and the others again and there were so many things that made him either fear or wish that the day of their reunion would come faster.

Had they all survived the storm?

Were they doing fine?

Did Oin have enough herbs and medicines to treat them all?

Did Dwalin have the sea snake tattooed on him?

Had Fili and Kili learnt how to act like responsible adults?

Had they been thinking about him?

Had they been searching for him?

What would they say when they saw him alive?

Had they missed him?

Had Thorin missed him?

For some reason, whenever he thought of that last part, Bilbo imagined Thorin’s blue eyes looking down at him with no particular expression. In his thoughts, Thorin couldn’t care less if Bilbo lived or not. After all, after being busted for not being Smaug’s lover, Bilbo didn’t hold any value for Thorin anymore. Having threatened to abuse and kill him, there’s no way that Thorin would have any warm feelings towards Bilbo. Still, the man had saved his life and didn’t abandon Bilbo when the storm began. Funny, how the pirate captain had always done the exact opposite of what he had said he would.

“Threatens to kill me but then saves me. Threatens to abuse me and- well, almost, but something held him back. It’s hard to say what he wants from me… and what I want from him.” Bilbo accidentally muttered out loud when it was their fifth day at the sea. His eyes were fixed on the water below, elbows resting on the railing and his chin cupped in his palms.

“Excuse me?” Haldir, who had just walked next to him quietly, asked.

“Oh! Umm, nothing. I’ve just been thinking again about my own motivations to do this, saving the Oakenshield crew I mean.” Bilbo confessed before turning back to look at the sea; there was a faint mist covering its surface.

“Are you starting to regret this now that we’re only about two days away from the pirates?” Haldir asked while raising his eyebrow, but Bilbo quickly denied his assumption.

“No! That’s not it. I’m not regretting anything but- well, I would like to know what the captain, Thorin, I mean, thinks of me. I’m not sure he will be exactly happy to see me, nor does he even care.” Bilbo told to the blonde man. The mist in the air was getting thicker and thicker with every passing minute.

“He probably doesn’t. I’m sure he will appreciate the information you’ll give to him but you yourself don’t matter to him much at all. After all, Thorin Durin is a pirate-” Haldir started and even though his first statements had raised a lump in Bilbo’s throat he found his voice to correct the other man right away.

“He used to be a prince!”

“And now he has become a bitter, arrogant and selfish pirate. If you ever thought you saw something else in him, it’s probably only because you were comparing him to Smaug,  the only person who is worse than him or that you were so desperate to have some comfort in that helpless situation of yours.”

Well, Haldir clearly was more straightforward than Lord Elrond or Gandalf. Bilbo felt the urge to give him the same speech that he had given to the other two men when he decided to go and warn the pirates, but he knew that it wouldn’t get him anywhere to argue with his current captain. And even if Haldir was wrong about Thorin’s nature, he probably was right about the fact that the pirate didn’t have a care for Bilbo, at least not enough to be missing him. What would someone like Bilbo matter anyway in the world of bloody fights, sea monsters and hidden treasures? If only Bilbo could make sure that the whole crew was still alive and could warn them about the upcoming attack … that should be more than enough, he didn’t need to belong.

Bilbo had actually been so focused on his thoughts that when he finally came back to earth he saw how the mist was now so thick that it was getting hard to see what was in front of you. Haldir had disappeared to command his crew, shouts echoing on the deck back and forth.

“A mist like this, at this time of year, is very unusual.” Bilbo heard some of the crew members muttering. He tried to find Haldir again, just to know what their plan was now.

“Do we have to stop and wait until the mist clears?  How long would that take?” he asked when he was finally standing next to the other man again. Haldir was looking up to the crow’s nest, waiting a word from his lookout.

“A mist like this could last for days. It would be better to continue slowly and carefully, and maybe reach the Oakenshield just in time.” Haldir answered.

“Captain! There’s something coming behind us!” the lookout suddenly yelled and Haldir and Bilbo both ran to the back of the ship, but because of the mist they couldn’t see much.

“Can you tell what it is?!” Haldir yelled back to his subordinate.

“I can’t make it out… It’s red, and it’s coming closer and fast but it’s still hard to say what it is.” the young boy from the crow’s nest answered, doing his best to identify the strange shape on the horizon.

“Could it be a monster? I told you that I met one before, the one with three heads.” Bilbo reminded the captain.

“Whatever it is, we can’t afford to fight it. Men! Turn off all the lights! We must use the mist to hide, it’s too dangerous to try to run away in this weather!” Haldir commanded his crew and in a second every torch had been blown out. Haldir did his best to try to find some sort of shelter, a place for them to hide but it was open sea all around them. Maybe if they change their course and the enemy, or whatever it might be that’s after them now, would lost them.

“Mister Baggins, please suffocate your torch. We have to be really careful now.” Haldir told to the shorter man when he noticed the faint ray of light in the corner of his eye.

“What torch?” Bilbo wondered but then he also saw it: his sword was glowing, a blue light growing stronger and stronger by every second.

 

_“What makes it special is that the blade glows blue when danger is near.”_

 

Bilbo was about to repeat Gandalf’s words to Haldir but the blonde man seemed to already understand.

“Quick, hide it under your jacket and stay low. When I tell you to, run inside as fast as you can.” the captain told him.

“I can’t just hide when everyone else are in danger.” Bilbo protested, not even realizing what he was saying.

“We will only fight if it’s the last option that we have. We must try to hide and if your sword keeps getting brighter and brighter as the enemy is getting closer it will give us away.” Haldir explained and Bilbo had no choice but to obey.

Soon the Rivendell men had succeeded in hiding the ship in the heart of the mist. There was only grey fog wherever Bilbo looked and he could barely see his own feet. It was just like with his first sea monster, everything around them went silent and there was just this sickening feel in the air that something terrible was going to happen really soon. He overheard Haldir whispering to the lookout (who had climbed down from his post) that their mystical enemy had disappeared as fast as they had appeared.

“We must wait for they might use the mist to their advantage as well.” Haldir said and Bilbo felt like he should point out that the monsters could dive too, but a smart man like Haldir surely knows that already. Bilbo peeked quickly under his jacket, and saw how the blade was still glowing; the monster was still very close. Soon the glow was so strong that it illuminated through his red jacket, giving the fabric a violet shade.

“Mister Baggins,” Haldir was suddenly whispering to him, “go inside, carefully. Run if I tell you to.” he commanded and hesitantly Bilbo started to tiptoe towards the entrance of the cabins. The mist was so thick that he needed to hold on the railing and guide himself with it to be able to walk straight. His curiosity forced him to peek over the edge more than once but of course it was impossible to see anything. But if he really squinted his eyes he thought he was able to see something red. A solid, slowly moving red wall, just inches away from their ship.

“Mister Baggins, run!” he heard Haldir’s command and those were the last distinctive words he heard for a while. Bilbo kept stumbling and slipping while he tried to escape and find his way inside the hold. One part of his mind was telling him to stop and fight, but it was too foggy to tell where the enemy was. He heard how the swords were clashing around him, heard the ominous laughter and terrifying battle cries.  

“It can’t be, it can’t be, it just can’t be!” he panted as he finally got inside the ship.

“Oh why, why it couldn’t be another sea monster!”

But before Bilbo had more time to panic, someone tied their bony fingers around his throat and bit painfully into his shoulder. Through his own screams, he heard the rasping laughter, the one he thought he would never ever hear again.

“Preciousssssssh! It’s Precious, Precioussshh is baaaaack!”

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! I'm happy to announce that this fic has a new beta reader snarkmaster94 and she has done amazing job with this newest chapter here! Maybe next time (or soon enough anyway) you'll be able to meet some of the characters I know that you've been missing and asking after ;)
> 
> Thank you all for your lovely comments and kudos and adding bookmarks! Also big big thanks for all the people who were offering to beta-ing this for me! I'm so touched to know that so many were willing to help me with this work :)


	19. No songs and No pain

They led every Rivendell sailors downstairs, into the dark cells. Bilbo knew that the ship had this so-called jail department, but during his first stay in Dragon’s ship he thankfully never needed to see it himself. It wasn’t like Smaug to take prisoners, so the cells were mostly used to torture his own men. One time, Bilbo happened to see how one of the crew members messed up with the ropes and then watched as the first mate, Azog, dragged the pleading man inside the hold while William whispered something like “gonna rot in the cell.” Bilbo never saw that poor guy again.

Except for now, but only if the bones that were now lying at his feet belonged to that unlucky pirate. Bilbo didn’t want to know.

“Hey! Wasn’t this the shrimp that the captain was looking for?” one crude pirate yanked Bilbo away from the others. They had packed all their prisoners inside one narrow cell and Gollum, who had captured Bilbo again, had hoped that no one would recognize his “precious” in middle of all the tall Rivendell men. But the bony man knew that not bringing everyone they found to be checked by Azog the Defiler would mean serious problems for him later. 

“Be quiet, Preciousssh! We don’t want to share, we gonna be togetherrr again soon, just the two of ussshh!” Gollum had hissed his ear when he had quickly pushed Bilbo next to Haldir in their cramped cell.

But the bony man’s hopes were crushed. Bilbo had been found and now he was standing in front of the feared first mate.

“How come you’re here?” the pale, tall man asked and roughly grabbed Bilbo from his hair, pulling his head backwards to see his face better. Now many others also recognized him and started to mock him. 

“It really is you! You decided to give yourself in?” 

“Did Durin send you back to us, wishing for a refund? You weren’t good enough for the kingdomless king?”

“If it’s good enough for Dragon it should be good enough for the dwarf too!”

“Maybe he was too loose, you know, ruined after our captain’s handling?”

“Or did you escape yourself? Because you just couldn’t forget Dragon’s touch? Want to crawl back to his bed and-”

“Be quiet, you fools.” Azog didn’t need to yell; his ice-cold voice was enough to silence everyone around him when he slowly inspected their smallest prisoner.

“You don’t even know how hard we have worked just to find you. We have basically turned the whole sea around.” Azog said and looked at Bilbo with a face that seemed to say that he couldn’t understand why.

“You have been looking for me?” Bilbo asked but no one bothered to answer him. Azog just moved his healthy hand from his hair to his collar and lifted Bilbo up so that even his toes couldn’t touch the floor anymore.

“However, you’re here now. The captain will be pleased to hear that. How lucky that we decided to stretch our muscles on your deck, we weren’t sure would we even find enough food and water from your minuscule ship but it seems that we hit the jackpot.” Azog sneered and told Tom to go and tell Smaug that they had a present for him. After giving the command, he brought his face closer to Bilbo’s, looking at the smaller man like he had never seen another human being before.

“I just can’t understand what makes you so special in his eyes. But whatever it is, I bet that wretched Durin couldn’t see it, since you’re not with him now. Or did these pretty boys save you? Well, the bastard is nothing without his grandfather’s throne, maybe you really could have escaped on your own.”

“So, you lost your hand to a wretched bastard?” Bilbo looked at the Defiler with defiant eyes, suddenly wanting to defend Thorin against this monstrous man. 

Of course, this wasn’t a smart move. Something in Azog’s eyes flashed and he used his left arm’s hook, the curved side of it, to punch Bilbo hard in the stomach before dropping him on the floor. Haldir and few other sailors tried to come to his rescue, but were quickly wrenched backwards by the pirates. 

“Next time I’m gonna pierce you with a sword, got it?” Azog warned Bilbo, who was trying to catch his breath, not able to even stand. 

“Does he boast about it?  Do his men sing songs every night about his only victory against me? I’m gonna cut out their tongues, slice their throats and dismember Durin’s every limb with this hook, having him screaming and keeping him alive and suffering for as long as I can.” Azog spat out his threats, but instead of terrifying Bilbo, those words made his blood boil, arousing anger in him.

“I remember…” Bilbo couched and swallowing the pain he stood up, steadying himself against a balk with one hand, his right arm still wrapped around his stomach.

“I remember the nights here. Sometimes your screams echoed all around this ship, your arm aching so much that you couldn’t sleep. Thorin Durin’s scars don’t keep him awake in the nights; he has forgotten all the little scratches you have left on his skin. He is stronger than the pain, much stronger than you. And the answer to your question, is no. His men don’t sing songs about you and I have never even heard of him mentioning you. You are nothing to him.”

The whole party had gone silent when they heard how this small man was insulting their first mate. Even after his speech, they all were too scared to move, both Smaug and Elrond’s men, they were all waiting for Azog’s reaction. 

“What is that? Are you really that willing to die for him?” Azog sounded more surprised than angry. He even chuckled a bit when he took two steps closer to Bilbo, lifting his hook in the air and-

“The captain wants the shrimp in his room, right now!” Tom ran back in the cells and his two brothers quickly snatched Bilbo away, running him as fast as they could to their captain.

“It’s no good if he kills you now. The captain would surely destroy us all!” William kept repeating the “no good”-part all over again when the two giant men were practically carrying Bilbo away. Azog didn’t protest, of course. He knew better than to go against his captain’s commands… for now at least. Because, Bilbo’s defiance had planted a new idea in his head, and unlike Tom, William and Bert, Azog wasn’t just a huge mass of muscles; he was sly and clever too and his mind had quickly plotted a dangerous plan.

“It seems that more than just one pirate captain fancies the shrimp.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry! A long break again from updates, I didn't mean that, really! I also forgot that my lovely Beta reader snarkmaster94 finished with this chapter like ages ago and I just forgot to update it here, so completely my fault that you needed to wait so long. Thank you all who commented me and asked for more chapters, I would have forgotten to update this otherwise! I will try my best to update soon enough again, but I will finish this, not my style to leave anything, even something as unimportant as this unfished ;)


	20. Scream my name, Flower boy

Bilbo didn’t know what had gotten into him. He had no reason to risk his life for Thorin just because someone was insulting him.  Maybe he had known that Azog wouldn’t carry on with his threat to pierce him, not when Smaug had been looking for him so intensely, but the pirate captain wouldn’t have any reason to spare his life. The fear had paralyzed his body from the second Tom had announced that Smaug wanted to see him immediately.

“Maybe now he’ll relax a bit. We all worked our asses off when searching for you.” Bert said before opening the huge red door that Bilbo had hoped to never see again. The two hulking pirates didn’t even dare to peek inside, they just pushed Bilbo into the captain’s room. He stumbled and fell - face first on the floor, and heard the door being pulled shut behind him. When Bilbo lifted his head up he felt something wet on his cheek and quickly brushed his palm against the spot. But it wasn’t blood that was staining him, it was water - no, tea. Strong black tea, he could tell by the smell of it. Before him, he saw many other puddles of tea all around the floor and here and there were also lying pieces of broken teacups, from fine china to smashed pieces of broken wooden pints. 

_ “Welcome back, my little flower boy.” _

Smaug was sitting at his desk. He looked absolutely terrible, his hair was a tangled mess and the skin under his eyes was dark like he hadn’t slept for weeks. He looked more like some wild beast; an animal more than a man. 

“I have been searching for you. I was wasting my time, chasing the Oakenshield and now they tell me that you were found in some random sloop. You made me work so very hard.” Smaug kept muttering as he stood up and started to walk to Bilbo who had backed up against the wall in fear.

“W-why? You didn’t care about me when-” Bilbo started but didn’t have time to finish his sentence when Smaug was suddenly looming over him, burying his overgrown, sharp nails in Bilbo’s shoulders. 

“I should have known! I should have known from the start! A gardener, a flower boy! You are just like _ him _ !” Dragon suddenly yelled and Bilbo had never seen him like this before, not even when Smaug had lost his temper during their nightly conversations. It was like he had gone mad, lost his mind.

“And your eyes, those eyes!” Smaug lifted Bilbo’s head up roughly by his chin, looking deep in his eyes just like when they had first met, “I should have known just by looking at you.”

“What you- umh?!”

The pirate captain bent down and kissed him, rough and hard. Smaug bit down on his lower lip, drawing blood and forcing Bilbo to open his mouth wider. A long tongue invaded Bilbo’s mouth and he felt like he couldn’t breathe, but he was too shocked to even try to push the taller man away. When Smaug finally pulled away Bilbo felt like the pirate had sucked all of his energy; his legs were trembling and his head felt empty and too full at the same time.

“You won’t run away, not this time.” Smaug whispered to his ear before he bit down on Bilbo’s neck, opening a bleeding wound there as well. Bilbo screamed and tried to get away from the pirate. 

“Stop it! Are you out of your mind?!”

Suddenly Smaug withdrew with an ominous chuckle. His hands were still holding Bilbo against the wall when he brought his face closer to Bilbo’s again.

“Yes, I’m out of my mind. I’m a lunatic, a beast, a madman! It wasn’t the Arkenstone that made me like this, it was you.” 

A beast. Not a human, not an animal. A beast, a monster. There was not even a single drop of love in Smaug’s touches and kisses. 

Not giving Bilbo any more time to breathe, he covered his lips again with his own and yanked the smaller man away from the wall, throwing him on the table instead. Bilbo was fighting fiercely now, kicking and pushing the other man away. His attempts were futile, though. Smaug was much stronger and didn’t even seem to notice Bilbo’s attempts at getting away. He saw no problem in tearing Bilbo’s shirt open with one hand to get better access to bite his neck and chest. When Bilbo tried to squirm away from his touches, he felt how his little sword was pressing against his own thigh. He had almost forgotten the weapon and the pirates hadn’t noticed it either, not even when the sword had been glowing. Maybe the sword knew that if it wouldn’t dim its light, it would make the situation more dangerous? If only Bilbo could find a way to reach it now, but Smaug’s large body and wide shoulders prevented him from moving his arms, as they were trapped between their chests. 

“Tell me where it is.” Smaug stopped his abuse long enough to give a command but returned right away to bruising Bilbo’s collarbone.

“T-tell you what?! Let me go!” Bilbo struggled but his ignorance gained him a hard blow on the cheek.

“Don’t play with me! The treasure, the Arkenstone! Where is it?!” Smaug had no patience left in him and was shouting at Bilbo’s face. 

“The wha- I don’t know! How could I know?!” Bilbo protested and this time Smaug grabbed his hair and smashed his head against the wooden table.

“You  _ are _ the map! You know it!”

Bilbo was terrified and nauseous and he was sure that he couldn’t have heard the pirate right. The map? Him? 

“I… I don’t…” he stammered and then his vision started to blur. He felt his body getting weaker and he knew that if Smaug should carry on with his abuse he would eventually faint because of a concussion. He needed to get away, now.

“I would have been so good to you once,” Smaug said, surprisingly gently, as he touched his face, “I really would have. But you never let me touch you. You tempted me, tortured me and then you just ran away.” his sharp nails traced red, slightly bleeding scratches on Bilbo’s cheek.

“I told you that I would find you, and I did. You can’t escape, never.” 

Then Smaug bent down to kiss him again. This time the kiss was slower, still not loving at all but not as hard as before. Bilbo couldn’t really concentrate and Smaug’s words didn’t make any sense to him. But like the pirate had himself admitted, he was out of his mind. Bilbo was lying limp on the table, letting Smaug do to him whatever he wanted. 

_ “Get a grip, please… move your hands, get the sword.”  _ his mind was telling him. Then he felt Smaug’s tongue again inside his mouth, and with his last remaining strength he bit it, not as hard as he could have but enough to draw blood. Smaug pulled away and the next thing Bilbo felt was how his whole chest burned as the pirate dug his nails into his skin and slashed deep and hard. 

“You will choose me! You will submit! I don’t care if you scream my name in pleasure or in pain, just as long as you scream!”

Smaug pulled him up from the table and threw him on the floor, on top of all the shattered glass. Bilbo’s bruised body couldn’t even register the pain anymore. He was expecting Smaug to come and kill him any second now but he simply didn’t have enough strength to pull his sword out and fight. His vision blurred and the last thing he saw was the faint figure of Smaug’s huge form approaching him. Then everything became white and he heard a loud crash. At first, he was sure that the pirate had thrown something at him, he just couldn’t feel it anymore. Then he felt a bruising pressure on his left arm. Had he broken it? 

Suddenly, he was pulled up and he knew that someone was gripping his arm. As his sight started to come back, he saw Smaug before him, sword in his right hand but his left arm was pressing against his chest, a large stain of blood widening under it. 

“He’ll come with me.” Bilbo heard a voice next to him say. The one who was holding him up by his bruised arm, the one who had smashed the red door open, barged in and wounded Smaug should have been Bilbo’s saviour, his guardian angel appeared just in time. 

But the white, huge hand belonged to Azog the Defiler.

“Don’t look so surprised, captain. You never really trusted me, right?” Azog grinned to Smaug who looked more bloodthirsty than ever. The golden eyes were burning, the humiliation of letting his guard down with Bilbo not to sense the surprise attack on time was eating Smaug from inside. But he saw that at the smashed doorway there was almost his whole crew standing behind the Defiler,  so Smaug needed to concentrate now.

“A rebellion, huh? I knew you would try that sooner or later, I just thought you were smart enough to  _ try _ to defeat me  _ after _ we had found the treasure.” Smaug straightened himself up to show that he would stand straight till the end. The gaping wound that Azog had managed to tear on his chest wouldn’t be enough to make him squirm. 

“I don’t give a damn about your stone. My goal is to feed the whole Durin family and their crew to sharks and have my revenge. And this little fellow here will help me to approach him. It looks like he likes the Oakenshield captain more than he should, so maybe Durin misses him too.” Azog revealed his plan and looked at Bilbo’s terrified and pained face. 

“Do you really think that I’ll let you leave this ship alive?” Smaug couldn’t believe his ears. He knew that Azog was a dangerous enemy, but Smaug had once fought alone against fifty men and won. If someone should be afraid, it was Azog. 

“You can try to stop me, but first you have to get through my friends.” Azog threw Bilbo over his shoulder and stepped aside to let Smaug’s ex-subordinates inside the room. 

“Remember, my friends, your former captain is weak and wounded. When you kill him, this whole ship will be yours, all its treasures will be yours to share.” Azog encouraged the rebels before leaving the room, running straight across the deck and jumping, with Bilbo, on board Lord Elrond’s ship.

“Fools.” Bilbo heard Azog chuckling as they began to sail away. On the ship with them were the rest of Smaug’s former crew, about fifteen pirates, now loyal to Azog. 

“Don’t worry, I took all of your pretty friends with me too. They’re gonna work hard to get us to the Oakenshield as fast as possible.” Azog sneered as he threw Bilbo onto the deck, ordering him to be taken inside the hold. 

Meanwhile, after Azog’s departure, Smaug was glaring at his rebellious crew. 

“So that’s how he fooled you. He bribed you. Do you really think that you worms are going to beat me?” he mocked them.

“You haven’t eaten for days and you’re wounded. You don’t have a chance!” William laughed as he clumsily rolled his dagger between his fingers and walked slowly closer towards the betrayed captain.

“If you want to surrender, we emptied the cells for you to rot there.” Tom grinned and Smaug could see that Azog had left the hulkiest but also the most idiotic ones behind him to die. Because Smaug knew that Azog was smarter than to think that these men could actually kill him. He had lied to them, told them that their captain was so weak now that even a novice coastguard could take him down. 

But like the dragons in the legends, Smaug could go on for days without food and water and still be able to give a good fight. Azog knew that, he was just playing for time by running away. If he gets Thorin’s head, he would surely collect a stronger crew and go after Smaug. Smaug had expected Azog to betray him, but hadn’t been prepared him to be this clever when doing so. Smaug would survive this fight, he’d probably pay a high price for it but he’s going to live. And he would get Bilbo back.

“The Defiler left you here to die, you useless bastards.” he hissed before lifting his sword and striking William dead just with a one fast, swift and clear hit on his throat.

“Now, who wants to be next?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaand a new chapter! I was fast this time, wasn't I? Big thanks to my Beta reader snarkmaster94 for working fast and hard with this chapter :) And I also wanna say how happy I'm noticing that many of you haven't forgotten this story after such a long break of updates, thank you for your comments and kudos! I hope to update soon again, just don't let me forget, please!


	21. Don't come any closer

Lord Elrond’s sailors had worked hard and non-stop through two days and nights. Only Haldir and two other men were left locked up inside one of the cabins, with Azog’s men ready to slice their throats if the others tried anything funny. When it came to Bilbo, his wounds were treated poorly but passably so he wouldn’t get an infection, after all, Azog needed him to look healthy and well when they finally reached the Oakenshield. The pale pirate had found Haldir’s logbook and with it all the information that he needed to get straight to Thorin. Whilst the captured sailors were doing all the hard work, his men had time to sharpen their weapons and gather their strength for the fight.

“We’ll reach the Oakenshield today.” Azog said as he came to intimidate poor Bilbo. They had shackled his left ankle to the mast, the chain long enough to let him walk next to the railing. This wasn’t done to prevent him from running away (where would he go anyway?) but to keep him under the pirate’s eyes all the time; to humiliate him, steal his privacy and his pride, just a small reminder that he should never talk back to Azog the Defiler.

“I’m still wondering, should I let you die mercifully with him or watch how you squirm in your sleep when you see nightmares about this day:  the day when Thorin Durin lost his head.”

Bilbo didn’t bother to answer, he hadn’t even bothered to say anything ever since they left Smaug’s ship. He knew that angering the pirate now would be unwise. He just needed to trust Thorin, trust that he would see or sense that something’s wrong. 

“You’re not so talkative anymore, huh? Did Smaug eat your tongue?” Azog knelt in front of him and took hold of his chin. Reflexively, Bilbo pulled his head away and that seemed to amuse the pirate.

“Still got some fight in you, eh? Good, it will be more fun to watch you break as Durin falls. I wonder if you will scream then. We never heard you scream in Dragon’s chambers, did he prefer to gag you?”

Bilbo knew that Azog was trying to provoke him into saying something impulsive again. This was a test, of exactly how much he could take in order to protect himself and Lord Elrond’s crew. If he talked back, Azog would use that as an excuse to hurt him or someone else just to show his power. 

“Well, if you want your friends here to live you have to start talking at some point. Remember this, when we’re approaching the Oakenshield I want you to wave there and smile. Call Durin and tell him you wish to speak with him. Assure him that it’s safe to come closer. Don’t even think about trying to warn him, because that would be the very last thing you ever do, got it?” Azog poked his chest with his hook. The scars that Smaug had left on him stung and Bilbo shifted away from the touch. 

“What’s that?” Azog’s eyes spotted the handle of the little sword that peeked beneath Bilbo’s jacket’s placket. Damn, the sword had been his last resort, his only weapon to defend himself if the situation got worse.

“You’ve been hiding this butterknife all this time?” the pirate captain took the sword that looked like a little kid’s toy in his big, scarred hand. Bilbo was afraid that Azog would punish him or someone else for his secret, but the Defiler was more amused about the idea that Bilbo had been thinking that he could hurt or protect someone with such a light and short blade.

“I have peeled sticks bigger than this off my skin. Was this a gift from Durin? If you want, I can poke his eyes with this.” Azog laughed and attached the sword to his belt. 

“You can’t beat him…” Bilbo whispered his first words for days. Even though his voice was low and quiet, Azog didn’t miss his claim.

“You’re foolishly loyal, like a street dog. If you look up to him that much, why hasn’t he come to save you? Why were you here?” Azog wasn’t actually curious to know, but he saw how the questions made his prisoner feel uncomfortable. 

“You’re right, my devotion to him is one-sided. So, there’s no point using me as a bait to lure him closer, he doesn’t care about me.” Bilbo really hoped and believed that his own words were true. 

“We’ll see about that soon enough.” Azog grinned and right after that, the pirate in the crow’s nest spotted the blue ship right in front of them.

“It’s the Oakenshield!” the lookout’s shouts echoed through the deck, and as Bilbo’s heart got heavier Azog’s malicious grin got wider.

“Better get you ready for the reunion with your master, dog.”

 

\---------------

 

“It’s been over two months now, we’ve done our best.”

“You mean there’s no hope?”

“Well he might have been swept to some island, but considering our location back then it is-”

“Yeah, I know… It’s unlikely, you’ve said that already.”

Balin didn’t know should if he should even try to comfort Fili or anyone else anymore. Like he said, it was over two months ago when the sudden storm had landed them and poor Bilbo was swept into the raging sea. It would be cruel to let the men have their hopes up for finding him alive anymore, they needed to move on.

“We would have parted from him anyway in Gordon, he wouldn’t be with us now anyway-”

“But at least he would be alive.” Fili ended Balin’s sentence darkly. They were standing on the deck, Fili had been taking out his anger and sorrow in training with his daggers, and had been throwing them on the main mast when Balin had come out from his cabin to interrupt him.

“You young-ones take this very hard, I understand that.”

“We young-ones? Don’t pretend that no one else misses him too! I can practically taste Bombur’s tears from the soup, Bofur lets fish escape all the time and Gloin is crankier than ever and-” Fili snapped but the older man was used to that already. 

“Bilbo was a fine lad, we all miss him of course. But you have to understand that being angry won't win you anything.”

“Then tell that to uncle.” the younger pirate hissed and started to collect his daggers. He didn’t even need to iterate their captain’s actions. Thorin tried his best not to show it, but the fact that his grip hadn’t been strong enough to keep Bilbo safe had left him feeling miserable. When the storm had passed by, they had spent two long days just trying to find their smallest companion, sailing nearby just to try and see a glimpse of him. But the Oakenshield was badly damaged and it needed to be repaired soon or they would sail no longer. So they made a stop in one of Gordon’s little islands. Thorin had sent his nephews, Ori and Bofur to ask around if someone had happened to see Bilbo, but there was no luck. And if Bilbo hadn’t found his way to Gondor it was unlikely he was anywhere else, Gordon region had been the closest land near them when the storm raised. Kili protested that Gordon’s coast was long, Bilbo could still be there but they simply couldn’t risk so much time just trying to find him.

“Your uncle will be fine.” Balin convinced, but Thorin really hadn’t been in his best mood lately. He rejected Balin’s and even Dwalin’s company and if somebody tried to talk to him he would snap that he was just thinking about their quest. 

Thorin had spent a lot of time alone after Bilbo’s disappearing. He wasn’t sure how he should feel about losing the other man. He felt guilty, of course, he wasn’t strong enough to save him, it was his fault that the sea had swallowed Bilbo. He hadn’t even felt good about the idea of letting Bilbo leave once they arrive in Gordon, but right now just having Bilbo alive somewhere felt much better than having him dead, lost forever somewhere in the deep dark sea. Bilbo had been innocent and too fragile for the life of pirates (he couldn’t even lift a regular sword), Thorin felt bad for forcing him to stay with him just because he had found his looks appealing. He could kind of compare the feeling to the guilt he always felt for taking his nephews with him and risking their lives every day. But at least the boys were the blood of Durin, not sons of some common, peaceful folks. 

Speaking of his nephews, he couldn’t even cross the deck anymore without one of them pleading him to keep on searching Bilbo.  At first Kili had been the louder one, but now that he had shut his mouth and spent his days sulking in the crow’s nest, his big brother had stepped in. Fili usually had more patience of the two of them, but he seemed also to be the more persistent one. Even now, after over two months of the incident, Fili was at on it when Thorin appeared on the deck.

“Does that look fine to you, Balin?”, Fili shot a glare at the older man before he turned to his uncle, “Uncle! Don’t pretend you don’t care when you do!”

Thorin rubbed his forehead, he was having a lot of headaches nowadays. 

“Shut up, Fili.” Thorin muttered, he was too tired to even try to silent the boy.

“You could at least talk to us.”

“What would the talking change? Balin, take him in the kitchen or library, anywhere but here to cool his head.” Thorin ordered but his nephew just shoved Balin’s hand away when the older one tried to lead him under the deck.

“You have ever only shown your yearning for the Arkenstone, not for anything else! Is some stone more important to you than him?” Fili shot and that made Thorin’s eyes dark.

“You were still very young, but don’t you ever forget that your great-grandfather, your  _ king died  _ because of that stone! You don’t remember it, but that stone made us what we are, it brought a life to Erebor! Because of that stone we have spilt blood, we have sailed these seas, we have become like this! I never forced you or your brother to join me, you wanted to come along and help me to bring back our kingdom. So don’t you ever again place some common peasant above the Arkenstone, ever!”

Fili tried his best to control himself, but he was trembling. He wouldn’t cry, he wasn’t a kid anymore but he wanted nothing more but to hit his uncle, his  _ captain _ hard now. He knew the value of the Arkenstone, he wouldn’t place just anyone above it. But Bilbo hadn’t been just anyone. 

“Wasn’t he part of this crew too? You’ve always told us that the only way to survive on the sea is to stick together, why are you abandoning him now?” Fili glared at Thorin who knew that his nephew had too much heart in the game to understand the facts.

“He wasn’t one of us, him being dead or alive is all the same now, it won’t affect our quest. Now shut up or go bother someone else.” Thorin sighed and walked to the prow. Who knows, maybe being dead was better for Bilbo anyway. The man had said so himself, that no one knew to miss him, no one but this crew.

“What the- There’s a ship coming from port!” Kili suddenly yelled from the crow’s nest. Everyone went to fetch their weapons, but the second later Kili confirmed that the ship wasn’t another pirate ship.

“It waves a white flag and it’s too small to be any threat. But it’s approaching us like they don’t know what the Oakenshield is!” Kili couldn’t believe his eyes as the small sloop was coming closer and closer. They had a pretty clear reputation of being pirates, no one who sailed this far from the land couldn’t be unaware of that. 

“What should we do, Thorin?” Dwalin looked at his captain who wasn’t ready to risk anything. He ordered everyone to keep their weapons and positions but allowed the smaller ship to come closer.

“Kili! When it’s close enough, tell do you see anyone on the deck!” Thorin ordered and soon Kili’s sharp eyes were able to tell that someone dressed in red was standing on the deck, waving at them.

“Wearing red… It can’t be the lizard, right?” Bofur asked but Kili shook his head.

“No, it’s too small to be him. There’s more men, about five guys but just the one in red is waving.” Kili informed, the sloop seemed to be harmless judging by its size and number of its men but he also had his hand on his sword, just in case. By every passing second, the sloop came closer and he could distinguish more details of the man in red. His features looked familiar, his outfit and his posture too, but it couldn’t be, it just couldn’t be..!

“He’s… No way! He can’t be!”

“He couldn’t be what? Is it the snake or what?!” Dwalin raised his gun and nodded Nori to do the same. 

“No, don’t shoot! It’s not him, it’s…” Kili blinked and rubbed his eyes to be certain, but his eyes had never lied to him and he just needed to trust that they wouldn’t fail him now either.

“It’s Bilbo!”

 

\----------------------------

Haldir and the two other sailors were still kept locked up downstairs but Azog had ordered the other Rivendell sailors on the deck and told them to act normally. He and his men were hiding near them, holding their daggers, guns and swords in their hands. Azog himself was behind the foremast and few barrels placed next to it to hide his large body better. Bilbo was standing few feet before him, waving slowly at the Oakenshield’s direction. 

“One wrong move and it will be the end of you.” Azog had whispered to his ear before pushing Bilbo forward to play his part. They had removed the chain from his ankle, had forced him to fix his appearance and as the pirates were hiding and Elrond’s men acting casually behind him everything felt so frightfully quiet and normal. Bilbo didn’t know how to sign any codes to Thorin to make him realize that this was all fixed, fake, a tarp. 

His heart started to beat faster when he saw the Oakenshield in the distance. He started to tremble when he noticed that it stopped to let them get closer. He knew that soon they would be so close that Kili’s eyes could recognize him standing on the deck. His heart sunk when he saw that the Oakenshield started to sail towards them, running straight to Azog’s trap because of him.

“You clearly mean nothing to him!” Azog laughed when the distance between the two ships was still large enough for the others not to hear him. 

Bilbo watched in dread how the Oakenshield sailed next to them, slowly closing their distance. Before he could actually see any of the crew members he heard their familiar, happy voices echoing through the water.

“It really is Bilbo!”

“He’s alive!”

“Bilbo! How you survived?! How did you find us?!”

“I was sure that I would never see you again!”

All the men had gathered to the railing to wave back at him with wide, surprised eyes and smiles. Bilbo tried to keep on smiling too but he felt how his eyes were starting to water and sting and he needed to bite his lower lip for keeping it from trembling.

“Tell them to come closer.” Azog whispered behind him and quickly Bilbo glanced around him. Elrond’s men were sharing terrified looks but Azog’s men weren’t so focused on to threat them anymore; their eyes were fixed on the Oakenshield, their main prize. The only ones who were in immediate danger were him and the Oakenshiled’s crew. 

When Bilbo was about to open his mouth to say what Azog wanted him to, he finally saw Thorin standing among his men. He wasn’t smiling, wasn’t rejoicing with others. His blue eyes were just staring at him, straight into his own eyes.

It was suddenly strange, Thorin didn’t look at all how Bilbo had remembered him. He didn’t have the stern, serious face like his grandfather in the painting. He wasn’t looking peaceful and relaxed like when they had smoked the pipe together. What he looked like he looked like Bilbo, eyes wide, bit scared, utterly lost. His blue eyes were reflecting Bilbo’s feelings and when Bilbo tried again to call him, tell him to come closer he just couldn’t force his voice out. 

“Thorin,” Bilbo swallowed and took a step closer to the railing. He could feel Azog’s eyes on his back and he knew that the Defiler’s patience was growing thin. 

“Call him.” Azog snarled but Bilbo knew that his next words would seal Thorin and his men’s fate; they had all abandoned their guns and swords when they were too shocked and excited to see him alive. 

But what Bilbo could do? He was powerless, standing between the two pirates. Without him even needing to tell them to sail closer, the Oakenshield was slowly approaching them. But if Bilbo didn’t speak soon they would realize that something’s wrong and if that happened Azog wouldn’t hesitate to end Bilbo’s life. He would also put Elrond’s sailors in danger. He walked to the railing, hands squeezing the wooden bar and then he raised his head to look into Thorin’s eyes once more. 

The kingdomless king and the son of a gardener. If you put it like that, neither of them wouldn’t worth much in this world. But Bilbo hadn’t been enough meaningful even to his own mother to make her stay at home, hadn’t been a reason enough for his father to keep on living and he hadn’t meant a thing to his relatives. But Thorin, no matter that he is a pirate, was the captain of twelve loyal men who were ready to die with him, ready to die for him. For his men Thorin, with or without a kingdom, was a true king whom they respected, whom they wouldn’t betray. 

Bilbo wouldn’t be the one to betray those blue eyes.

“Thorin! Don’t come any closer! This is a trap!”

The Oakenshiled’s crew went silent. Thorin pushed past his men to look at Bilbo closer and they never once even blinked as Bilbo kept on shouting. 

“It’s Azog and fifteen other pirates! They’re fully armed and---------------------!” 

It was fast and sharp, the pain he suddenly felt on his back. After that, nothing hurt but he also couldn’t feel his hands on the railing or his feet on the deck anymore. All the sounds disappeared too. He kept his eyes on Thorin’s, just to see how the blue orbs widened and it looked like he was saying something, shouting Bilbo’s name. Then, everything was suddenly blue. Bilbo dropped his gaze and saw how his sword was glowing again, blue light burning stronger than ever from its blade that had just pierced him from behind through his stomach.

“I did warn you, didn’t I?” Azog whispered to his ear but Bilbo didn’t even hear that. He couldn’t hear how everyone around him was shouting and how the guns were fired as he fell on the deck. Azog hadn’t even bothered to pull the sword out of him and so he laid there, as his blood covered the glowing blade and everything around him became violet for a moment until it was all dark.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE END
> 
> No sorry no, there will be more, promise! Thank you so much everyone for your lovely comments! I appreciate every single one and every single kudos too, you've been too kind to me lately! Big thanks to my awesome beta reader snarkmaster94 too! Fantastic job again :) I promise to finish this story someday, it's over the half way now so please keep on believing me even if the updates sometimes take a bit long.


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